Shouldering the Blame
by Fuyu no Akegata
Summary: Kakashi returns from a mission; Iruka patches him up and fluffiness ensues. Kinda… WAFF, fluff, mild angst it always slips in there if I’m writing Kakashi, doesn’t it? prequel to Hatochan’s Playing Doctor in the TI Universe posted on AFF net
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Shouldering the Blame, Chapter 1

**Rating**: PG-13?

**Pairing**: Kakashi/Iruka Iruka/Kakashi I like my boys to switch xD

**Status**: WIP, but hope to finish soon... yes, I know you've heard that from me before, lol.

**Summary**: Kakashi returns from a mission; Iruka patches him up and fluffiness ensues. Kinda…

**Genre**: WAFF, fluff, fairly mild angst (it always slips in there if I'm writing Kakashi, doesn't it?) HC

**Warnings**: biseinen ai, coarse language and provocative conversation, medical imagery, blah blah blah

**Disclaimer**: I asked Kishimoto-san for several shinobi for my birthday… I kinda conveniently forgot to put them back when I was done… So technically they aren't mine, but I think they have a lot more fun with me…

**Author's Notes: **Thank you to Hatochan, the reason I started writing again and the reason I continue… This occurs just before Hato's Playing Doctor, but works better if you read it after hers. After discussing what we've managed to figure out from the time line a bit more, we decided this and Playing Doctor occur about 6 months after Kakashi and Iruka's wedding mentioned in Hato's Along the Way: Ch.10 – Prancing, so they are married and living together in a house, now. Also check out Jam and Jelly's stuff on and her LJ, and yay! you can legally read my stuff now… grin :) Happy Birthday, dear. Oh, and a shakujo is a weapon, a sort of staff, parts of it often bound in metal, with metal rings on it… if you are familiar with Miroku's staff from InuYasha, you know what I mean… if not, Google can provide you with much better definitions than I ever could :) And yes, this is based on my famous/infamous wasp sting incident from a few months ago, lol

Look for her Playing Doctor on AdultFanfiction net... Playing Doctor is fairly explicit, guys. **DO NOT** read if you're not legal... or if you can't handle some kinkiness...

Kakashi trudged slowly through the gates into Konoha. He had just completed a mission and could hardly wait to get home. Tonight, his trademark slouch was far more genuine than assumed. He took the most direct route back to their home, not even stopping to drop off his report, as the mission was not deemed critical. He was so tired, he almost wished he still had his own old, lonely, near empty apartment which was closer, but he knew Iruka would hurt him (or even worse, withhold sex) when he found out. His love had no patience when it came to Kakashi's habit of ignoring mission injuries that would send most shinobi willingly to the medic-nin, and an injured wrist could never be shrugged off as minor to Iruka. Also, current SOP stated all after hours mission returns were required to report to either the missions desk or the personnel listed as their primary emergency contact.

Kakashi understood the rationale behind the order, even agreed with it, but tonight it was nothing more than an inconvenience. He debated releasing the jutsu immobilizing his injured wrist, but he was so close, now, the extra energy was probably better expended protecting his hand. There was no way Iruka could say he had willfully ignored his health and well-being this time... He had managed to complete the mission with a minimum of lost time and a minimum of injury. Tsunade couldn't yell either, because he had managed to make it home without totally depleting his chakra reserves.

He'd be fine after a good night's sleep, a shower, and a hot meal, not necessarily in that order. He wearily walked down the path and fiddled with the lock, weariness and exhaustion overcoming shinobi grace and reflexes as he tried to open the door left-handed, only to have it open from the inside. He almost stumbled into the teacher as he lost his precarious balance when the supporting door moved. Fortunately, this was enough of a routine that Iruka was easily able to react and catch the toppling jounin.

Iruka whisked away vest, shoes, mask, and hitai-ate before guiding the silver-haired man to a seat in the kitchen. Kakashi opened his mouth to speak, but Iruka shook his head, performing his own injury check. He felt his lover's head and peered closely into each eye, fingers lingering over a slightly grazed eyebrow before assessing the only mildly lowered chakra level. Swift brown fingers felt across collarbones and ribs before Kakashi was able to bring his right wrist up for Iruka's inspection.

Kakashi actually blushed. "Three enemy shinobi. I defeated them, but I umm, well, I hit my wrist on a rock. Banged it up good. I promise I took care of it... really. Used a jutsu to immobilize it. Everything else is minor."

"We'll see about that, Kakashi." Iruka's hands hovered over the injured arm. "You'll have to teach me this one once you've healed. You're lucky you didn't make it worse performing the seals, though. It's broken, you know." Iruka fought back a smile at the look of dismay on the older man's face. "Fortunately, it appears to be a small break. A clean one, too. Your jutsu did a good job immobilizing it. This was yesterday?"

Kakashi nodded.

"It did an effective job keeping the worst of the swelling down, too. It might have something to do with the constant chakra flow around the joint." Iruka continued studying the hand.

Kakashi let himself be lulled by his lover's soothing voice.

"This is quite clever, actually. I'm a bit surprised you managed to come up with it." Kakashi just nodded again, and Iruka smiled. He really is tired. He never even noticed that one… "There's minimal chakra drain with this jutsu, too, since it basically just keeps your own chakra flowing continuously over the part to be immobilized. If you'll release it, I'll heal it for you. No use sending you to the hospital when you're this tired for something I can take care of myself."

Kakashi slowly released the jutsu and immediately felt Iruka's chakra easing away the pain and stiffness in the joint. He removed Kakashi's gloves and examined both wrists closely, evidently satisfied. "Well, that was easy enough. What else?"

"A few assorted scrapes, cuts, and bruises. I took a few senbon to the neck and shoulder. One of the assholes was trying to herd me towards his buddy with the shakujo. Guess senbon were all he had left in his bag of tricks. They weren't even poisoned. Maybe they were just trying to slow me down enough so they could get away. A few managed to make it past my vest, though. I couldn't avoid the whole spray of them. I twisted to keep them from going into the nerve cluster and that's when my wrist hit the rock. I put them in my pack after I pulled them out of my vest and shoulder. Looked like a damned porcupine. It's nothing serious… really."

"I'll decide that. I've seen your 'nothing serious' before. Hold on here for a second while I heat your dinner. I know, nothing heavy, but you need something... " Iruka placed a small pot on the stove. "Ok, let's go love. I'll check the rest of your wounds in the bathroom and get you into a hot shower. Any twinges in that shoulder? Fever, chills, nausea?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Was dosing myself with antidotes for most of Grass's poisons before I left the borders, anyway."

"Just lean on me, Kakashi. Yes, I know you can make it yourself, but it doesn't hurt to accept help when it's offered, does it? Just lean against this wall while I turn the water on."

Kakashi complied, unable to do anything else, in fact, surprised and a bit unwilling to admit how much Iruka's interrogation and the short walk from the living room had actually taken out of him. He sagged a little more against the wall, closing his eyes, listening to the sounds of Iruka readying the shower and bath.

"Almost done, Kakashi. Kakashi?"

"Hmm?" Kakashi sounded so drowsy.

"Are you okay?" Concern tinged the chuunin's voice.

"Yeah. Fine. Just tired. Side effect of the jutsu. Doesn't drain chakra, drains stamina."

"Kakashi, how far away were you?" Iruka knew his partner and his habits well. He had to ask.

"Not that far," Kakashi insisted.

"Kakashi…" The name was drawn out a bit more than normal.

The jounin winced at the tone. "A day away," he admitted.

"Kakashi…" Iruka's eyes narrowed.

_Damn, this is worse than trying to pull something over on Namikaze-sensei or JiJi_… Kakashi sighed. "A day away… at ANBU pace." He saw Iruka's eyes narrow more. _Uh-oh…how am I going to talk myself out of this one?_ "Look, I know, it was a strain pushing that hard on the return trip, but even you will agree I needed to get the wrist looked at… The longer I took coming back, the greater the chance of running into another group of hostile shinobi. Should I have chanced that? Or chanced having to release the jutsu and injure myself further performing seals or using taijutsu? So, actually, I was being responsible…" _Is he going to buy it?_

Iruka didn't want to admit it, but Kakashi had a point. He might not want to, but he had to agree, it did make sense. He wondered if he had finally lost it, agreeing with one of Kakashi's wild proposals, but then he remembered that with Kakashi each behavior might be logical in and of itself. It was the combined effect that would drive him crazy each and every time, the outrageous progression of logic that made sense only to the man's own brain. Iruka had long ago ceased to even attempt to unravel the intricacies of Kakashi's thought processes. It hurt his head to even try.

"Be fine after I sleep," Kakashi mumbled.

"I suppose so," Iruka agreed reluctantly. He hated to think of Kakashi still out on a mission with the wrist injury. All it would take would be a single misstep or a moment's hesitation on his part to turn the simple injury into something much worse. Iruka refused to even consider the alternative. He would deal with that particular hardship if and when the time came, no use dwelling on it until then. That last thought, however, added an extra measure of tenderness to Iruka's touch.

He carefully eased the shirt from the hunched shoulders and pulled it over the muddied silver head. Maybe Kakashi actually had told the truth this time. None of the wounds looked particularly bad, and he was actually willing to sleep, this time. He stripped the rest of the clothes from the tired man and pulled Kakashi into the waiting shower. He worked up a lather, spreading it efficiently over the pale body, occasionally lingering over and caressing a scar as he remembered the injury associated with it in vivid detail. _Kakashi made it through each one of these injuries, so why should I worry about a few scrapes and bruises? This time there's no need for him to lie to keep me from worrying or because he knows there is another important mission waiting that is best suited for him to take, or because he simply thinks it's something too minor to be bothered with. He really __**did**__make it home safe and sound this time_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: Shouldering the Blame, Chapter 2

**Rating**: PG-13?

**Pairing**: Kakashi/Iruka Iruka/Kakashi I like my boys to switch xD

**Status**: WIP, but hope to finish soon... yes, I know you've heard that from me before, lol.

**Summary**: Kakashi returns from a mission; Iruka patches him up and fluffiness ensues. Kinda…

**Genre**: WAFF, fluff, fairly mild angst (it always slips in there if I'm writing Kakashi, doesn't it?) HC

**Warnings**: biseinen ai, coarse language and provocative conversation, medical imagery, blah blah blah

**Disclaimer**: I asked Kishimoto-san for several shinobi for my birthday… I kinda conveniently forgot to put them back when I was done… So technically they aren't mine, but I think they have a lot more fun with me…

**Author's Notes: **Thank you to Hato, the reason I started writing again and the reason I continue… This occurs just before Hato's Playing Doctor, but works better if you read it after hers. After discussing what we've managed to figure out from the time line a bit more, we decided this and Playing Doctor occur about 6 months after Kakashi and Iruka's wedding mentioned in Hato's Along the Way: Ch.10 – Prancing, so they are married and living together in a house, now.

Iruka smiled as he realized the only mementoes of this mission were likely to be fond memories of teasing Kakashi about defeating three enemy nin only to be brought low by a rock. He quickly washed the dirt, leaves, and even a few small twigs from the silver hair, fingers combing through the slightly tangled mess. He worked as quickly as he could without hurting Kakashi any more than was strictly necessary, knowing a short relaxing soak in the tub would ease the knotted muscles even more than a longer shower would, with the added benefit of slipping him closer to the badly needed sleep that couldn't be far from the older man's mind.

It was often Kakashi's post-mission misfortune that while his body desperately craved sleep, his mind had yet to catch up with his body's needs, unable to relax from the necessary vigilance and mission mindset. It was a dilemma shared by many of the village's shinobi, and each seemed to concoct their own methods for relaxing themselves and shifting from mission stress to everyday life. Iruka had soon learned to distract Kakashi's mind while easing his body into such a relaxed state that he had no choice but to follow his body's needs. He rinsed the suds from the tired shinobi before leading him the few small steps to the steaming tub and lowering the man into the heated water.

"Do you think you can stay awake long enough for me to bring your dinner, Kakashi?"

"I'll manage." The voice was slightly slurred with exhaustion, but he managed a ragged approximation of a smile.

"I'll just be a minute," Iruka vowed.

"I'll be here. Not going anywhere." Kakashi's smile was more visible this time, if still too tame for Iruka's liking.

He still answered with his own smile, shaking his head as he made his way to the kitchen to retrieve a mug of the soup he'd set to warm earlier. He also added a cup of Kakashi's favorite citrus and spice herbal tea. He knew his lover would probably prefer the fragrant hand-rolled, jasmine-scented white tea that he claimed always reminded him of home, but he didn't need even that minute trace of caffeine to play havoc with his sleep patterns tonight. A tall glass of fruit juice with a wildly colored straw rounded out the light repast, providing extra calories and (knowing Kakashi) extra fluids the jounin probably needed. He carried the small tray into the bathroom, setting it down on the shelf next to the tub.

Kakashi lazily opened an eye.

"I made miso eggplant soup." Iruka smiled, knowing Kakashi would no longer grumble about being too tired to eat. He carefully handed the mug to Kakashi, who leaned back even more after the first sip. Iruka's smile widened at the look of near ecstasy on his lover's face.

"Red and white?" Fortunately Iruka had been involved with Kakashi long enough to be thoroughly fluent in tired-jounin-just-back-from-a-mission-ese.

"Yes, I used both kinds of miso this time. I thought it would work better with the eggplant."

Kakashi nodded. "Something else."

It was almost a game now. When Iruka experimented or deviated slightly from a well-known recipe, Kakashi always tried to guess what was different. Iruka raised an eyebrow. He had only expected Kakashi to notice the miso.

"I bought those small green eggplant you looked at last time in the market. Midori-san said they had a more delicate taste, so I thought they would work well in the soup."

Kakashi nodded again. "It's good." He visibly thought for a moment. "Too early for eggplant."

"Not in Mist. They can grow anything, year-long, with hothouses," Iruka explained.

"Didn't need to go to all that trouble, Iruka." Kakashi still protested mildly, but it did nothing to hide the fact that he was touched by the concern and thoughtfulness the chuunin showed.

Iruka watched as he swallowed the last of the vegetable laden broth before exchanging cups. Kakashi smiled before the slightly hot liquid reached his lips. Iruka marveled at the pleasure shown for such simple comforts. Kakashi was almost childlike in that sense. Ok, maybe in several more as well. Iruka couldn't help ticking them off in his head… his delight in flustering the chuunin, his apparent disregard of the necessary social niceties when they proved inconvenient, his flagrant disregard for rules he couldn't see the meaning behind, his love of discomfiting authority figures…

Still, those quirks were more than balanced by his enjoyment for the smaller joys of life and his ever-present sense of justice and fairness and his insistence on protecting and standing up for the weak and helpless. Despite whatever childlike qualities he might display, when combined with his fierce determination, unswerving loyalty, and high regard for teamwork, they created a truly formidable opponent, indeed. Which is why Iruka was almost giggling at the thought of the high and mighty shinobi, copy ninja extraordinaire, Sharingan Kakashi, being defeated by a rock. It was as ludicrous a thought as the time at the academy when Sasuke had defeated every sparring challenger only to trip over a log and knock himself unconscious.

Iruka smiled and began rubbing Kakashi's uninjured shoulder. The silver head lolled back as he finished the last of the spiced tea. Tanned fingers threaded lightly through the rapidly drying strands of hair. After a few minutes of soft strokes and petting he stood up and retrieved several fluffy towels. "Come on, Kakashi, you're turning all pruny." He carefully helped the other man from the tub and stood him on the rug before slowly drying the droplets of water from the heat-pinkened body, warm fingers softly wiping away a few stray streams from his neck.

Iruka wrapped a dry towel around the slim hips, tucking the end securely. Kakashi swayed a bit. "Lean against me, Kakashi, just a bit, almost there. Here we go, just sit down carefully." Iruka eased Kakashi onto the edge of the bed. "Just a few more minutes, I'll have the rest of these cuts and scrapes bandaged and then you can sleep, ok?"

Kakashi nodded sleepily, storm-gray eye half-closed.

Iruka retrieved the first aid kit from the bedroom closet and removed several bandages and a tube of antibacterial ointment. He quickly treated several small assorted abrasions and cuts scattered across the jounin's body. "Are you sure these senbon wounds aren't giving you any problems?"

"I'm fine, 'Ruka." The slur in his voice was even more pronounced.

Iruka examined Kakashi's badly scraped and bruised forearm before wrapping it carefully and then smeared a thick glob of ointment on the pinprick wounds along his shoulder and neck before covering each with a wildly patterned band-aid. He placed a kiss on the shoulder along with the final bandage. "Raise your arm and let me bandage this gash on your ribs." Iruka placed a large bandage on Kakashi's chest before winding a longer bandage around him several times and securing it above the previously bandaged shoulder.

He turned around and rummaged in the closet one last time, coming out with a canvas and Velcro contraption. "I can't exactly say I'm glad you broke your collarbone last year, but at least we kept the sling. Raidou and Genma are coming over for dinner tomorrow night and this will hold your wrist still until I can have Raidou check you out." Iruka fastened the sling around Kakashi's chest and shoulder, securing the wrist against his chest.

"Ok, Kakashi, finish your juice and I'll let you sleep." Iruka held the glass with the neon straw as his lover drank thirstily. Kakashi drank about two-thirds of the fluid before slumping against the chuunin. Iruka took the juice and set it on the bedside table. "Come on, love, lie down." Iruka helped Kakashi back and covered him with two blankets, kissing him gently on the forehead.

Kakashi tried to struggle upright. "Closet," he mumbled groggily. Iruka eased him back down. "I'll get it in a bit." He smiled at the odd twists and turns of Kakashi's thoughts. 'I'll stay with you until you fall asleep and then go finish up a few things, ok?"

"Mmmm." The murmur was barely audible. Iruka nestled against Kakashi, spooned close against him ruffled the tousled strands of silver resting beneath his chin. Strong hands kneaded knots loose from tired, abused muscles as a low voice hummed a favorite lullaby. He felt the deepened, slowed breathing before him as the jounin settled further into sleep.

Iruka awoke to a series of muffled thumps, an empty bed, and the realization that he must have been far more tired than he had known. There was just enough moonlight filtering into the room to show a dark form sprawled on the floor.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The Log should be familiar to anyone who's watched more than a few episodes of Masako X and Vegeta3986's 'Naruto, the Abridged Series' on Youtube and other places scattered across the web. Search for Naruto Abridged and you should be able to find them in fairly short order.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title**: Shouldering the Blame, Chapter 3  
**Rating**: PG-13  
**Pairing**: Kakashi/Iruka Iruka/Kakashi I like my boys to switch xD  
**Status**: WIP, but hope to finish soon... yes, I know you've heard that from me before, lol.  
**Summary**: Kakashi returns from a mission; Iruka patches him up and fluffiness ensues. Kinda…  
**Genre**: WAFF, fairly mild angst (it always slips in there if I'm writing Kakashi, doesn't it?) HC  
**Warnings**: biseinen ai, coarse language and provocative conversation, medical imagery, blah blah blah  
**Disclaimer**: I asked Kishimoto-san for several shinobi for my birthday… I kinda conveniently forgot to put them back when I was done… So technically they aren't mine, but I think they have a lot more fun with me…

**Author's Notes**: Thank you to Hatochan, the reason I started writing again and the reason I continue… This occurs just before Hato's Playing Doctor, but works better if you read it after hers. After discussing what we've managed to figure out from our time line a bit more, we decided this and Playing Doctor occur about 6 months after Kakashi and Iruka's wedding mentioned in Hato's Along the Way: Ch.10 – Prancing, so they are married and living together

**Playing Doctor link** Playing Doctor is fairly explicit, guys. **DO NOT** read if you're not legal... or if you can't handle some yummy kinkiness... ;)

Iruka switched on the light and flew across the room. "Kakashi…" He carefully shook the uninjured shoulder and was answered by a muffled groan and a slowly opening gray eye. "Why aren't you in bed, Kakashi?" It was to Iruka's credit that only a small portion of his exasperation was evident in his voice, and only someone well familiar with all his shades of mood would hear that, but that also presumed that said idiot jounin causing the exasperation was awake enough to gauge his lover's mood and coherent enough to recognize it, neither of which were true.

Silver brows drew together in confusion before Kakashi looked up to Iruka and saw the closet door slightly ajar behind him. "The door was open. Have to close it."

Iruka took a deep breath and counted. He wasn't angry, exactly… but some days, trying to keep up with Kakashi's mental contortionism made his teeth hurt and frustrated him to no end. He had no idea why the ex-ANBU was fixated on the closet door tonight, but he knew he would get no sleep until the portal was secured. Some things just weren't worth arguing over, especially when your opponent showed a remarkable similarity to a stubborn, sleepy five-year-old.

He sighed, and supposed it could have been worse. It could have been enemies under the bed or some other such nonsense. He was glad Kakashi had reluctantly agreed to the no weapons by the bedside on the nights following missions policy Iruka had insisted on after Genma had grazed Raidou's shoulder with a kunai one night a few months ago. Paranoia helped keep senses sharp while on a mission, but couldn't just be turned off immediately once a shinobi returned to the village. What kept you alive on a mission could maim or kill a loved one once safely back home. Raidou was long healed and was now enjoying the pampering and extra attention Genma was lavishing on him in his guilt.

Iruka shuddered to think of what damage Kakashi could unintentionally inflict even in a weakened state. He still remembered a story Raidou had told him of a group of shinobi Kakashi had killed during the war. His patrol had rendezvoused with Raidou's, which had been sent to resupply them and update intel and mission parameters. Raidou's squad was fresh from the village and had assumed guard shifts for the combined team, but a few enemy shinobi killed one of their sentries and slipped through the perimeter. Kakashi woke the next morning, covered in blood and with two enemies dead by his side, with no recollection of how they got there. It was assumed that instinct took over and he had killed the men without even coming completely awake. The deadly young shinobi had slept near the fringes of camp for months after that.

This appeared to be nothing more than the simple confusion of total exhaustion. Just in case, Iruka felt Kakashi's forehead. Slightly warm, but nothing that couldn't be explained by the extra blanket lying crumpled at the foot of the bed. Iruka smiled. _Just like a kid… getting too warm and kicking off all the covers in sleep_. Iruka could imagine him coming just barely awake and focusing with all the single-minded stubbornness of a cranky toddler on the barely open closet door. Luckily for Iruka's sanity, this was a minor injury and Kakashi's strange but eventually explainable logic would soon recede to the background, awaiting another injury or moment of stress before coming to the forefront again.

Iruka helped Kakashi to a sitting position. "Did you hurt yourself when you fell? Bump your head, injure your shoulder, jostle your wrist?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I thought I could make it. All I was doing was closing the closet door, but then I was so tired and I was falling. I didn't know I was that tired. It's not like I'm really injured or suffering chakra depletion, I'm just a little banged up and bruised, but I guess the jutsu took more out of me than I realized." After a moment's hesitation he added quietly, "I've been doing this for so long I don't think I even notice things anymore if I'm in mission mode. Injuries, exhaustion, hunger, chakra depletion, they don't exist there. I know you and Tsunade probably think I'm just difficult, but the mission and my team have been my focus for more than twenty years, now."

After another small pause he continued, and Iruka had to strain to hear the words. "Actually, I can't remember a time when the mission wasn't my goal. I learned to be a shinobi before I could walk. You've heard that civilian saying about shinobi children teething on kunai. I did. One of 'Tou-san's old blunted practice kunai, but the weight and balance were still the same. I was throwing shuriken and senbon when other toddlers were learning to toss those brightly colored balls. 'Kaa-san found me in my crib performing a lightning jutsu one night and managed to hide it from my father for six whole months. He was so proud that I had control of the Hatake chakra by the time I could walk. He never knew I did it before I could even talk. I suppose that's how I've been able to use my sharingan. I've always been able to see things and know how to make them work, and the sharingan has only enhanced that and let me adapt jutsus for my own use. 'Kaa-san was afraid of what would happen to me if I started formal training so young. She wanted me to have a normal childhood. I guess 'Tou-san and I disappointed her greatly. I never was normal." Kakashi's voice trailed away to a mere whisper with his last admissions, and his head lolled against Iruka's shoulder, his exhaustion evident in every line of his body.

Iruka blinked rapidly and his voice was thick with emotion. "Normal is vastly overrated, love. You're beyond tired, so let's get you back to bed. Your mission's over so there's no need to ignore your body's signals, now. You need to sleep." Even after all this time, Kakashi could still surprise him when he let his guard down completely.

Iruka carefully helped Kakashi to his feet and supported him as they walked the few feet to the bed. He eased the jounin down onto the mattress and covered him with a single blanket before sliding in behind him and gathering him close.

Kakashi lay quietly in Iruka's arms, listening to the quiet breaths and feeling the strong chest rise and fall behind him. He heard Iruka yawn, and feigned sleep, not wanting to keep his love awake any longer. Kakashi heard the smile in Iruka's voice several minutes later.

"It's not working, Kakashi. I know you're still awake. Is it so difficult to admit you're having trouble falling back asleep?"

Kakashi's voice was muffled against the pillows. "I thought if I tried hard enough I could make myself fall asleep."

Iruka sighed. "You don't make yourself fall asleep, Kakashi. You **let** yourself fall asleep."

"I make myself fall asleep on missions all the time, Iruka," he insisted.

"I'm not sure what you do on missions is really even sleep, Kakashi. It's probably more like a trance state. That would explain a lot. You're still thinking aren't you, and that's why you can't sleep. You haven't completely switched over from mission mode. Your body is completely exhausted but your brain still hasn't relaxed and gotten the message, right?"

Iruka felt Kakashi's small nod.

"You body needs to rest and sleep so you can heal and recover. Your brain needs to dream and sleep so you can process everything and function." Iruka began softly kneading the jounin's shoulder and back, stroking his temples, whispering quietly and humming in his ear, and he smiled_. He'll be out in under five minutes_.

Iruka wasn't smiling ten minutes later.


	4. Chapter 4

-1**Rating**: mild R, because Iruka insisted :) Unedited version at AFF  
**Pairing**: Kakashi/Iruka Iruka/Kakashi I like my boys to switch xD  
**Status**: WIP, but hope to finish soon... yes, I know you've heard that from me before, lol.  
**Summary**: Kakashi returns from a mission; Iruka patches him up and fluffiness ensues. Kinda…  
**Genre**: WAFF, fairly mild angst (it always slips in there if I'm writing Kakashi, doesn't it?) HC  
**Warnings**: biseinen ai, mild yaoi, coarse language and provocative conversation, medical imagery, blah blah blah. This chapter has been edited for content so that I can feel comfortable about posting here… the full version is at AdultFanfictionNet and the KakaIru LiveJournal comm.  
**Disclaimer**: I asked Kishimoto-san for several shinobi for my birthday… I kinda conveniently forgot to put them back when I was done… So technically they aren't mine, but I think they have a lot more fun with me…  
**Author's Notes**: Thank you to Hatochan, the reason I started writing again and the reason I continue… This occurs just before Hato's Playing Doctor, but works better if you read it after hers. After discussing what we've managed to figure out from the time line a bit more, we decided this and Playing Doctor occur about 6 months after Kakashi and Iruka's wedding mentioned in Hato's Along the Way: Ch.10 – Prancing, so they are married and living together in a house, now. Also check out JamandJelly's stuff here or her LiveJournal. No Kakashi's were harmed or injured in the writing of this chapter...

Hatochan's Playing Doctor is fairly explicit, guys. DO NOT read if you're not legal... or if you can't handle some yummy kinkiness... ;) and relax, guys, it doesn't hurt near as much as y'all seem to think, errr uhmm or so I've been told... It can be found on AdultFanfictionNet and the LiveJournal KakaIru comm.

Iruka wasn't smiling ten minutes later.

Kakashi lay on the bed quietly, but he still wasn't asleep. Iruka knew the other man was exhausted, just as he knew he wasn't actively fighting sleep… but he was still awake.

Iruka carefully brushed silver strands from the jounin's forehead, smoothing the pale brow and lightly caressing the pressure point behind his ear. His voice was as soft as his touches when he spoke. " Is there anything you'd like me to do, 'Kakashi love?" He pressed a kiss on the nape of the man's neck and slid a hand to a groove in the headboard, retrieving a long, thin object.

Iruka heard the tiniest hint of a leer in the Hatake's voice, "You know what I'd like to do, beloved, but even I know I'm not in any condition for that, even if you did indulge me..." The sleepy chuckle assuaged any lingering doubts Iruka might have had about Kakashi's health.

Iruka sucked lightly on the pale flesh. " You'll be indulged as soon as you're able."

Now Iruka clearly heard the jounin pout. "I'm able as soon as I rest and get a good night's sleep, love."

"Generally speaking, yes." The chuunin relented in his sensual torture and merely rested his forehead against the silky silver. " Though it will only occur whenever you are actually up to it, whether that's after a good night's sleep or after your wrist is fully healed is dependent on your behavior."

"Fully healed? But that could take at least another week or two, even after what you've already healed!" Kakashi almost squeaked in indignation. He switched almost immediately to a wheedling tone. "You wouldn't really make me wait that long, would you, love?"

Iruka felt the jounin wiggle against him almost imperceptibly, as if already trying to entice the younger man. Iruka sighed, silently asking every deity he could think of for the strength to get through this night, and bit gently on his lover's earlobe. "Yes, I would."

Kakashi was silent for a moment, considering.

The brunette propped himself onto one forearm, gaining a better vantage point to see his lover's gears turning.

"So basically I just have to rest for a day or two and take things easy with the wrist? If I don't fight you on this and things are healing, then you'll indulge me?" Iruka could hear Kakashi thinking his way through the words, examining every angle before committing himself to an agreement that might possibly backfire.

Dark eyes rolled upwards before returning to the jounin's face. "If you don't give me a hard time, and take proper care of yourself, AND if it means nothing detrimental to your health... then I will indulge you in every way imaginable." Iruka rested the point of his chin on Kakashi's shoulder.'

"You promise?" Kakashi almost hid a yawn, but Iruka knew him too well, and he was after all a ninja, and shinobi were trained to notice things most other people ignored. "I'd hate to go through all the trouble of behaving and not be properly rewarded..."

Iruka pretended to be properly affronted. "Have I ever gone back on my word, Kakashi?"

"I'm not saying you would go back on your word, love, just making sure we are thinking the same thing when you say 'every way imaginable,' that's all." Kakashi almost managed a sultry purr, even as tired as he was.

Iruka leaned down and whispered into his lover's ear, tongue barely peeking out to touch the lobe. "Every. Way. Imaginable."

Kakashi couldn't stop the shiver as he felt Iruka's warm breath against him. "I suppose we do understand each other then." Kakashi's voice was strained.

"I think our lines of communication are fairly reliable." Another kiss was pressed to the jounin's neck.

The jounin was quiet for a moment. "I promise I will try to rest the next few days... and I'll take it easy on the wrist, even though I can barely feel anything wrong with it, now."

"It probably is nothing, love." Iruka slid his arm around the other man, holding him close. "But I'd rather err on the side of caution. I'm a teacher, its required."

Kakashi shifted in bed, trying to find a more comfortable position and didn't even bother trying to hide the next yawn.

Iruka laid his head back onto the pillow, breath warm and moist on the back of his lover's neck. Almost unconsciously, he began to hum, a lullaby from his long ago childhood that had been all but forgotten in the hectic days of his adolescence and adult life.

Kakashi settled back slightly against him, almost unconsciously slowing his breathing. He listened carefully to the quiet, almost familiar, tune.

Iruka held his husband close, fully aware of the man's continued fight to sleep. One brown hand casually smoothed over Kakashi's chest, just above his heartbeat, in an attempt to lull him into a deeper state of peace. _It's always so hard for him to come down after missions. Too tired, too much residual nervous energy, too much time spent on edge. _The chuunin pushed his face further into the silver hair, kissing the back of Kakashi's neck and feeling the man tense slightly. "Kakashi..."

"Yes, love?" Kakashi's voice was softly strained, tinged with frustration.

_Well, this always worked for me_. Iruka sat up, scooting back and turning his lover face up, the weary face peering up from the pillows.

"Wha??? 'Ruka?'" Kakashi slurred in fatigue.

The brunette ignored the confused words. He bent down and placed one gentle kiss on the pale jaw line before moving backwards to straddle well-muscled legs.

Kakashi's breath hissed in sharply at the all-too-welcome weight.

Broad fingers hooked into the elastic waistband, two efficient tugs exposing the soft member nested in silver curls.

"Iruka?" Kakashi's voice trailed away at the feel of warm breath.

Iruka let his bent legs slide farther apart and pressed his own groin against Kakashi's shins. "Shhhh, 'Kashi. You don't have to do anything, and it should help you get rid of the rest of that pent up energy." Soft lips brushed over the tight abdominals, sweeping down until Iruka had his nose buried in the coarse hairs. Iruka wrapped one hand around him, making it more accessible to the teasing touches_. Not a marathon session, just enough to get him to sleep. Shame I can't tease him more. _

_"_Ahhh. 'Ruka. Sweet kami..." Kakashi's voice cracked as a warm, wet tongue enveloped him.

Short minutes later, Iruka could feel Kakashi swelling under his hands and mouth, and was almost sad at the short length of time, but knowing it was for the best.

"I-Iruka... ahhh.. kami, 'Rukaaaa" Kakashi breathed his husband's name with all the reverence normally reserved for a deity.

One golden hand slipped into the bedding and entwined the callused fingers with their paler counterparts. Iruka felt a final swell and jerk as warmth hit the back of his throat.

_Still beautiful, even tired and injured._ Dark eyes never left the pale contorting face far above him.

"Iruka, love..." Kakashi's voice was a bare whisper.

Swallowing quickly, the chuunin let the softening flesh slide from his mouth, carefully laying it back into the silver before pulling the pajama's waist band back into place. Iruka crawled back up the bed, falling to one side. He gently laid an arm over Kakashi's chest and pressed his face into the crook of neck and shoulder. " Shhhh, 'Kashi." Iruka could feel the jounin's body under his arm, pressed to his front. There was not an ounce of tension left in the man's frame.

The scarred nose pushed further into the silver hair, breathing in the oddly pleasing scent of shampoo and fresh sweat.

Kakashi quieted further as he felt the familiar nuzzle behind his ear. His breath deepened and slowed, and his last conscious thoughts were of how much he truly loved Iruka.

Iruka tossed the unused sedative-dipped senbon into the cup beside the bed as he felt Kakashi finally succumb to sleep and smiled as he followed, glad **this **mission, at least, had ended well.


	5. Chapter 5

**Rating: **PG-13, my smut bunny is napping and poor Kakashi is allll worn out... evil grin  
**Pairing**: Kakashi/Iruka Iruka/Kakashi I like my boys to switch xD  
**Status**: WIP, but hope to finish soon... yes, I know you've heard that from me before, lol. What, you thought the last chapter was it? Ha! Just wait...  
**Summary**: Kakashi returns from a mission; Iruka patches him up and fluffiness ensues. Kinda…  
**Genre: **WAFF, fairly mild angst (it always slips in there if I'm writing Kakashi, doesn't it?) HC  
**Warnings**: biseinen ai, yaoi, coarse language and provocative conversation, medical imagery, blah blah blah  
**Disclaimer**: I asked Kishimoto-san for several shinobi for my birthday… I kinda conveniently forgot to put them back when I was done… So technically they aren't mine, but I think they have a lot more fun with me… Kasumi-san is mine, and Toranoko-chan belongs to Hatochan (Ko-chan from Odd Admiration)

**Author's Notes: **Thank you to Hatochan, my sane island in an ocean of insanity… you're the reason I started writing again and the reason I continue, despite my doubts and all the little bumps in the road… this is part of Hatochan's Tolerant Intolerant universe and occurs just before Hato's Playing Doctor, but works better if you read it after hers. We tinkered with our story timeline AGAIN and this time we realized this and Playing Doctor occur only 2-3 months after the wedding from her Along the Way: Ch.10 – Prancing. They are married and living together in a house, so the old apartments are now gone... ****

Hatochan's Playing Doctor is fairly explicit, guys. DO NOT read if you're not legal... or if you can't handle some yummy kinkiness... ;) it's on the KakaIru LiveJournal and ****

Chapter Notes: Kukicha tea is made from prunings of the tea plant, roasted to bring out a rich flavor. The blooming teas really exist. I like getting mine online from the Stash tea company, but many other sources are out there. Stash is also where I order my Dragon Phoenix Pearl Jasmine tea, my favorite tea ever… Wagashi are a traditional Japanese confection usually served with tea. Some common types are made of mochi (a sticky, sweet pounded rice), anko (sweet red azuki bean paste), and traditional seasonal fruits. Daifuku is mochi stuffed with anko, and yakiimo cakes are made with roasted sweet potato. Matsunoyuki means "snow on the pine" and is made from a softer type of mochi or mochiko (glutinous rice flour) which is colored green and molded to resemble a pine tree and dusted with powdered caramelo, a foamy candy. The texture isn't quite as chewy as regular mochi, and is more like Turkish delight. Mizuhiki is a Japanese artform involving special colored cords made of washi, a traditional paper made from the inner bark of certain bushes. Gifts are often wrapped in special papers, and certain combinations of paper and differently colored cords have different meanings. Now, craft items such as jewelry are also being made of mizuhiki cord.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Iruka woke a few hours later, arms still full of silently slumbering jounin. He ruffled the silky silver strands and carefully slipped from bed, stretching, darkened skin spread taut over the muscular form. A few rays of early morning sunlight caught the chuunin, turning the caramel expanse a rich gold and revealing glints of copper in his hair.

After a quick shower and breakfast, he moved on to grading and lesson plans for the following week. Two hours and two mugs of tea later, he had finished everything. He peeked into the bedroom, using every bit of stealth available to him. The tired shinobi was still curled slightly, lying on his side as if Iruka were still spooned against him. "Kakashi?" Iruka called softly. He hoped Kakashi was still deeply asleep, but he knew all too well the dangers of a bored, even slightly injured Kakashi waking to an empty house.

Iruka smiled when his quiet query produced not so much as a shift of the mattress. _Still sound asleep, and out for several more hours, at least, if I know him at all_. Iruka gathered a pair of canvas totes and set off for the market.

It didn't take long to find suitable ingredients for the upcoming night's dinner. Even stopping to chat with the parents of current and former students delayed him only slightly. Still, the mid-winter weather was making itself noticed. The misty drizzle of the rain and the chill in the air seemed to leach all warmth and brightness from everything, including the chuunin, and he stopped by a vendor's stall for a handful of warm dumplings. He wished he had a cup of tea to wash them down with, but didn't want to waste time visiting the teahouse when he still had a few more shops to visit.

Tea. Iruka could smell the mingled scents before he ever entered the door of the tea-sellers shop. He began browsing, looking for some calming blends for Kakashi. _Hmm, maybe an herbal jasmine blend? _He perused several different kinds of tea, before the proprietor approached him.

"Ah, Iruka-sensei. Good afternoon. So nice to see you again. Did you like the Kukicha tea (made from prunings of the tea plant, roasted to bring out a rich flavor) I sent with Toranoko-chan after her last tutoring session?" A short round little man addressed the academy teacher.

"Good afternoon, Kasumi-san. Yes, I did, thank you so much."

"Good, good, Iruka-sensei. Always glad to introduce an old friend to a new tea. Especially when that old friend teaches my scamp of a granddaughter." The old man smiled broadly. "Can I help you find something?"

"Maybe you can, Kasumi-san. I'm looking for a special blend for Kakashi-sensei. Something calming and relaxing, maybe with jasmine? He loves the Dragon Phoenix Pearl Jasmine you carry, but I'd like to get him something that won't have any chance of keeping him awake when he comes home after a long mission. Can you suggest something, Kasumi-san?" Iruka looked hopefully at the wrinkled old merchant.

"Hmmm. I do have a nice herbal jasmine blend, but you're probably looking for something with some more relaxing properties. The jasmine blend has ginger, jasmine, cinnamon, and orange. I suggest mixing it with a mildly flavored relaxing blend. Maybe this one here?" The tea-seller led Iruka to a shelf full of small canisters. "This one has passion flower, chamomile, lemon balm, catnip, hops, and lavender. It's very calming and soothing, but not strong enough to overpower the jasmine." Kasumi-san brought a canister to Iruka and opened it. "Oh, I'm so sorry Iruka-sensei, this is the wrong one. This is a flowering tea. Very beautiful, and a pleasure to drink, but not what you were looking for."

Iruka gazed at the mesmerizing display of colors and textures. "These are made from hand-picked tea buds and sewn into rosettes with thread. You steep them in hot water, and they slowly blossom into flowers. They don't require a tea bag or strainer and are beautiful brewed in a clear glass teapot that will show off the blooming petals. This particular blend is jasmine and amaranth flower."

Iruka's mind wandered back several years to his brief time with Hayate. The young swordsman had returned from a mission to Tea Country singing the praises of a newly discovered tea. A few all too short weeks later, Iruka pushed him away and into Yuugao's waiting arms. He never did get to taste the lauded brew. He idly recalled that amaranth flowers symbolized immortality and blinked back a fond tear.

"Iruka-sensei?" The little old man repeated his query, and Iruka realized he had become lost in memories.

"Do you have any more of these flowering teas, Kasumi-san?" the chuunin asked very quietly and intently.

"Of course, Iruka-sensei, but none of these are herbal blends. As enjoyable as these are, they aren't soothing." The old man never sold a tea he didn't think his customer would enjoy.

"That's alright, Kasumi-san. I'd like 100 grams of the jasmine and herbal blends you showed me and maybe you could advise me on the flowering tea?" Iruka knew the hand-tied bundles were probably ridiculously expensive, but he also knew that he had to purchase some for Kakashi.

"Would this be a special gift for Kakashi-sensei?" The merchant was nothing if not perceptive, and had enjoyed the chuunin-sensei's patronage since very shortly after he had received his appointment to the academy. Iruka could see where Ko-chan's father had gotten his trademark keen insight and sharp sense of discernment.

"Yes. I would really like to get a few of these for him. I'm sure he would properly appreciate their particular beauty." Iruka wasn't even sure, himself, why he felt such a burning need to buy the extravagant tea for his husband.

"Hmm… Kakashi-sensei. Well, we know he likes jasmine tea and the citrus blends. There is a citrus jasmine flower tea, but my supplier hasn't been able to secure any as yet. Ah, I think I know the perfect one." The old man replaced the canister on the shelf and pulled down another. As the lid was released, Iruka smelled the most wondrous fragrance ever. "It's jasmine, osmanthus, and orange flower along with ginseng, burdock, and white tea surrounding a furled rosebud. It has a delicate flavor and color along with the delightful fragrance. I think Kakashi-sensei would enjoy this one greatly."

Iruka gazed longingly at the small, pale rosettes of leaves. "How many do you think I should get him, Kasumi-san?" Iruka hoped the gift wouldn't set him back too much, financially.

"Each bloom produces 3 to 4 pots of tea, Iruka-sensei. Seven would make almost enough for a month." Kasumi-san suggested.

"Let's make it eight, Kasumi-san. With missions and mid-year testing at the academy, we might get busy. This way I know he'll have a full month's supply." Iruka knew Kakashi would appreciate the aesthetics of the gift as much as the tea itself.

"Eight it is, Iruka-sensei. The tea blossoms are a bit fragile, so if you'd like, I can wrap them up while you finish the rest of your shopping and you can pick them up when you're done. I'll even box it up and gift wrap it for you, that way you don't have to handle them any more than necessary," the merchant offered.

"How much do I owe you, Kasumi-san?" The teacher inquired.

The merchant quoted a figure far lower than Iruka had expected, and he surmised the man was giving Iruka a major price break. The old man never forgot a slight or a compliment, and while slights were met with nothing more than tight-lipped silence, compliments usually garnered extra bags of tea or other recompense.

"Thank you so much, Kasumi-san. Your knowledge and assistance is greatly appreciated, as always. I'll be sure to let Toranoko-chan know how much you helped me. She always wants to make sure you're taking proper care of me," Iruka chuckled.

"Ah, that one. My son has his hands full with her, for all that there isn't a mean bone in her body. Go on with you, Iruka-sensei, the weather isn't getting any warmer, outside, and I'm sure you have more errands to run. Your package will be ready when you return. I have some business to take care of, myself, but my assistant will be here, and he'll get it for you." The old man hustled Iruka out of the store with a smile and returned to packing up the well-loved customer's purchases. He went back to a shelf and retrieved a small clear, glass teapot that would showcase the tea's full beauty. He wrapped it carefully in paper and then carefully wrapped each delicate, fluffy ball of tea in a small pouch of silk and placed them carefully inside a box filled with tissue paper. After wrapping the eighth ball of tea, he selected one more and placed it with its comrades inside the gift box. He then wrapped the entire box in a beautiful paper and secured it all with mizuhike cord. He wrapped up little paper envelopes of the selected tea blends and labeled them with the date and variety and placed all the purchases in a bag with Iruka-sensei's name attached to it before alerting his assistant and attending to his own business.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

After leaving the teashop, Iruka quickly made his way to the confectioner's shop to pick up a small assortment of wagashi. Daifuku and yakiimo cakes and were his particular favorites available now, but he added a handful of matsunoyuki for Kakashi, knowing the delicate-tasting pine trees with a dusting resembling snow were a treat Kakashi indulged in but rarely. He thanked the store-owner and hurried back to pick up his other purchases and head home through the cold drizzle.


	6. Chapter 6

**Rating:**R/M, because Genma has roving hands and a potty mouth ;)  
**Pairing**: Kakashi/Iruka Iruka/Kakashi I like my boys to switch xD same with Raidou and Genma :D  
**Status**: WIP, but hope to finish soon... yes, I know you've heard that from me before, lol.**  
Summary**: Kakashi returns from a mission; Iruka patches him up and fluffiness ensues. Kinda…  
**Genre:**WAFF, fairly mild angst (it always slips in there if I'm writing Kakashi, doesn't it?) HC  
**Warnings**: biseinen ai, yaoi, coarse language and provocative conversation, medical imagery, blah blah blah, pre-drunken shinobi shenanigans  
**Disclaimer**: I asked Kishimoto-san for several shinobi for my birthday… I kinda conveniently forgot to put them back when I was done… So technically they aren't mine, but I think they have a lot more fun with me… Kasumi-san is mine, however.

**Author's Notes: **Thank you to Hatochan aka chikatai my sane island in an ocean of insanity… you're the reason I started writing again and the reason I continue, despite my doubts and all the little bumps in the road… this is part of Hatochan's Tolerant Intolerant universe and occurs just before Hato's Playing Doctor, but works better if you read it after hers. After way too much INTENSE scrutinization of our story timeline we pinned it down for sure… right Hato? Uh… right? Crickets chirping… oh damn… Playing Doctor occurs 3-3 ½ months after the wedding from her Along the Way: Ch.10 – Prancing… so it's January. We think… Don't you love the joys of a fluid timeline? They are married and living together in a house, so the old apartments are now gone... **  
**Hatochan's Playing Doctor is at adultfanfiction net;it's fairly explicit, guys. DO NOT read if you're not legal... or if you can't handle some yummy kinkiness... ;) and relax, it doesn't hurt near as much as y'all seem to think, errr uhmm or so I've been told... shuts up and goes back to crocheting scarf... The unedited version of the GenxRai scene is posted on Adultfanfiction net

**Another Long-Ass Author's Note**: _Nikujaga_ is a Japanese meat and potato stew. Very homey… mom's cooking type dish. I figured it's nice for a drizzly/snowy winter day and decided Raidou seems like a simple, 'Kaa-san's home-cooking, meat and potatoes lovin' type guy :) Few meals in Japan are complete without rice. Other dishes served at a meal are known as _okazu_, or side dishes. One of the most common meals in Japan is 'one soup, three sides' or _ichiju_-_sansai_. It consists of rice, a soup, and three different side dishes, prepared in three different ways, often one simmered or boiled (the_nikujaga_), another grilled (the teriyaki kabocha skewers), and the third usually a raw fish sashimi. Such a meal typically finishes with green tea and pickled fruits, flowers, or vegetables, _tsukemono_. Goby is a traditional late fall/early winter fish that migrates from freshwater areas to the sea for spawning. A common preparation is tempura style, cooked in sesame oil and then dunked in a hot tuna broth. Gobi sashimi is rare at restaurants since a kilogram of live goby can cost over $100 dollars (US) at a Tokyo fish market, but there are two main types, _ito tsukuri,_ called thread sashimi, and a non-sliced, raw fillet-style called _arai_, which means washed. Raidou seemed a likely fisherman, so they lucked out with an affordable dinner :) Winter melon, or winter gourd, is a member of the squash family. A thick, waxy coating allows storage up to a year. They can be rather large, and a favorite preparation is made into soup, served in highly carved bowls made from the outer shell of the squash itself. Shiso is an herb used a lot in Japanese cooking; also known as perilla or beefsteak plant. Kabocha is a hard winter squash also called Japanese pumpkin; it's somewhat similar in taste. It's been mentioned as one of Genma's favorite foods in the data books – I like it curried, stir-fried, or simmered in a bit of broth, mirin, tamari, and grated ginger. Shochu is pretty much the Japanese equivalent of vodka.. it is a distilled spirit made from rice, sweet potato, buckwheat, barley, or brown sugar. Occasionally chestnuts and other grains are also used and add to the flavor. It's usually about 50-90 proof, and the different ingredients favored in each region give subtle flavor and aroma differences to the final product. Raidou is also preparing a sweetened, dessert version of _okayu_, a rice porridge. It's yummy and unfussy, and although wagashi or some other Japanese sweets might be more traditional, this is definitely seasonal and appropriate to the weather. Some Japanese rice cookers have an _okayu_ setting. Iruka's Zo is a Zojirushi rice cooker. Zojirushi makes very nice, dependable rice cookers and bread machines. They tend to become the quiet workhorses of your kitchen, rather like a Kitchen-Aid standmixer. You may not think about them a lot, but they do a lot of work for a long time. It probably doesn't matter to anyone but me, but as a bit of trivia, the bottled beer is Sapporo's_Fuyumonogatari_ (Winter's Tale), a light, seasonally-brewed Japanese malt lager. Yes, it used to be a rice lager. No, it isn't now :) Yes, I'm a geek and spend way too much time looking up/refreshing my memory about facts on the internet. No, I **don't** care :) Golden Monkey tea really exists. Stash tea carries it, the info is reworded from the blurb on their website,

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The rain started coming down more heavily as Iruka slogged through puddles and rivulets of water. He was relieved when he turned down the lane that led home. Overhanging pine trees made an artificial twilight even at midday, but blocked out almost all of the steady downpour. He went through the gate and up the walkway, making a mental note to light the oil lanterns outside before Genma and Raidou arrived for dinner later this evening. As he arrived in the entranceway, he toed off his zori and whispered a soft "Tadaima," smiling at he performed the ritual even when Kakashi was (hopefully) too asleep to notice and reply with the traditional "Okaeri."

He put water to boil and set down the day's purchases, leaving the food for tonight's dinner on the kitchen counter. Changing into warm dry clothes was his first priority. When he entered the bedroom, Kakashi lay silent and unmoving. _He really is exhausted. Why can't I knock into his head that arriving home a few hours early isn't worth this exhaustion?_ Iruka shook his head at his husband's stubbornness and tucked the blankets closer around the still form. He donned the dry clothing and grabbed a towel for his hair before returning to the kitchen.

Luckily, the water was boiling and a steaming mug of tea was no more than minutes away. He picked up the bag from Kasumi-san's shop, intending to hide the package now, while Kakashi was asleep, and wondered at the unexpected weight. _The old man must have slipped in a gift of his own when he wrapped it_. Iruka chuckled fondly, knowing he could no sooner break the merchant of his generous manner than break Kakashi of his habit of avoiding doctors. The parcel was soon stowed in a dark corner of a closet, behind a trunk, where he hoped it would remain hidden. He pulled out the remainder of the envelopes from the bag, only belatedly realizing there was an extra.

The words scrawled on the envelope were somewhat shaky, but still legible. _Consider this a free sample, Iruka-sensei. It's not the cheapest of teas, but if you like it as much as I think you will, I'll more than make back the money from this small sample. It was a special favorite of Sandaime-Hokage. Enjoy. __Kuroshio__Kasumi_ As Iruka lifted the envelope, a small card fluttered loose.

**Golden Monkey tea**

From Yunnan province, China

Made from the same leaves that makes

the famous medicinal Pu-errh tea. Grows

in hard to reach, mountainous areas, so

sometimes picked by specially trained monkeys.

Brews a golden amber cup of tea with hints of

smoke and honey flavor. Full of yellow fibers

which look like the hairs of Golden Monkeys.

Iruka shook his head as he prepared a cup of the new tea and, smiling, sipped the warming brew.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Genma swung the partially empty six pack through the air by the thin plastic rings, his other hand busy inching its way under the back of his husband's shirt. A very cold can of beer pressed against Raidou's warm skin.

"Genma..." Raidou's voice was low and husky and Genma felt it rumble through him as they walked.

"Remind me again why we went fishing in the dead of winter instead of fucking in our warm bed?"

Genma whined.

"It isn't exactly the dead of winter, Genma. It's rain, not snow… and we, no I am fishing because I saw goby in the stream, damnit, and I told Iruka I'd bring them for dinner tonight. I know you prefer them tempura style, but Kakashi hates tempura, and they are so good as sashimi. Only reason they're still around was because the winter's been so mild up till now. Now quit griping and stay out of the beer. Save some of those for tonight." Irritation tinged the scarred man's voice.

Genma pulled the beer can from under the dark material and popped the tab. The dark brew was sipped slowly, the can crinkling as the tokujou rationed his alcohol for the afternoon. Raidou would be pissed if he drank the entire six-pack before getting to the house. "Still cold as a monk's prick." He mumbled sourly into the can.

"It wasn't that bad, Genma. I built you a fire. We had a tarp under the trees. We even had a wool blanket. Was today really so horrible?" Raidou idly watched the pinecone Genma was kicking along the path.

"It was cold and every time I tried to get warm you got mad at me." The beer can was half empty, the remains sloshing around as Genma's arms moved naturally with his gait. A few drops escaped the hole and fell darkly on the frosted path.

"I got mad at you because you decided to warm your hands on me not at the fire. I don't like cold hands under my waistband, and when I jerk, it scares the fish. It takes 2 or 3 good-sized fish per person for goby sashimi. Just because I was lucky enough to find them didn't mean I was going to be lucky enough to find a dozen nice sized fish. I didn't want you scaring them all away." They bickered with all the long-practiced ease of their three years of marriage and over twenty years of close association.

" Well, you got a dozen anyway. So can we fuck in their bathroom between dinner and dessert?"

The pinecone shot off into the undergrowth. Genma shifted his senbon to the other side of his mouth.

"Genma. What's wrong with waiting till we get home tonight? Anticipation makes things that much better." They were most definitely married …

The younger man sighed deeply. "We won't get home 'til almost sunrise and you know it. And by then you'll be too tired to do anything." (Not a bit of this is drawn from experience or anything, mind you…)

"Since when am I too tired? I can still manage to wear you out and you're two years younger than I am." (Think Genma struck a nerve?)

Genma upended the last of his beer and threw the empty can at a nearby tree. A senbon pierced the aluminum, imbedding in the pine_. I'll pick it up on the way back home. _" Yeah, well..." Genma trailed off into barely heard mumbles. He stopped swinging the beer, eyes picking out another pinecone to kick forcefully up the lane.

Raidou drew his eyebrows together. "Even if it's just an aluminum can, you know that isn't good on your senbon. You're always complaining about those little nicks and how much harder it makes it to clean the poisons off."

" Hmmhmm." Genma kicked the second pinecone into the undergrowth as well.

Raidou stopped under a pine tree only a hundred feet from their destination. "Ok, Gen. We're not going anywhere till you tell me what's going on, today."

Shadowed honey colored hair shifted as Genma looked towards his lover, his free hand already retrieving another senbon from his vest pocket. " Nothing's goin' on. I'm horny. You're not. That's all." The long needle slid comfortably between his lips.

"It's not that I'm not horny. I'm just focused on what needs to be done. It's called priorities. I told Iruka I'd get the fish. I said we'd be there by five. I plan on keeping my word, Genma, no matter whether you can keep it in your pants or not." Raidou watched the weapon intently.

"So that means we can do it in their bathroom, right? Since we got the fish and we'll be on time and I've been a good boy?" Genma smirked around the metal.

Raidou sputtered. "Good boy? Obviously we're not on the same page, here. Do good boys go 'fishing for worms' down their husbands' pants? Or push them back and try to drink beer from their navel?" Raidou crossed his arms, looking sternly at Genma.

"Only**exceptionally** good boys do that." Genma was purring, now, absolutely oozing sexual tension.

Raidou dropped his arms, slumping in defeat.

Genma leaned forward, careful to keep the pointed weapon away from Raidou's face.

Raidou's eyes followed the senbon, almost hypnotized by the slender metal.

The tokujou pushed two cold fingers under his husband's waistband, pulling him closer. Slightly chapped lips pressed against the other man's, senbon safely to the side.

Raidou groaned. "Genma..." The name was no more than a hoarse whisper and warm lips remained just slightly parted, so close he could smell the yeasty breath washing over his husband's pearly teeth.

Genma pressed a little closer, then pulled away, his fingers sliding from the warm confines of fabric and skin.

Unconsciously, Raidou followed, pressing closer to Genma.

" That's all I wanted; a promise of things to come, or cum rather." Genma snickered and gave his lover a mischievous smile.

"Huh? What? Why you... You little tease..." Raidou couldn't stop the words, or the flush on his face, or the immediate bulge in his pants.

Without looking down, the hand in charge of the beer lightly stroked the older brunette, the remainder of the six-pack brushing against Raidou's thighs. Genma took the senbon from his mouth and put it away as he spoke. " Don't think it's little, and you know I'm only a tease if I don't follow through. " He gave a firm squeeze. " And I always follow through... Just not always when you want it."

Raidou spared the tiniest glance at his wristwatch. Time enough to teach a certain senbon sucker a lesson. He dropped the bad of groceries and placed the bucket on the ground. A predatory gleam appeared in his eyes and two large hands pressed against the old pine, on either side of Genma's shoulders. "And you complain about me not giving in when you want it?" Warm lips dipped to the younger man's neck, sucking lightly.

" The difference between you and I, other than an inch or two in length and girth, is that I lack the upstanding morals that would burden me with the guilt of leading someone on." Genma smiled brightly and let the beers drop from his hand. He tilted his head to the side to give Raidou better access to his neck. The pale fingers squeezed along Raidou's length, already feeling the bit of moisture near his thigh. " Mmmm, have I ever told you how much I love this?"

By this time Raidou was too far-gone to even follow Genma's words. He felt the other man's hand on him and pressed the honey haired man against the tree roughly.

Genma's smile broadened at the feel of rough bark against his scalp.

Genma worked his hands at Raidou's waist, deftly unbuttoning the fly and pulling the material apart.

Raidou hissed at cold hands and air on hot skin. "Oh kami, Genma..."

The thick piece of flesh jumped into Genma's hand, his palm molding against the familiar shape and weight. He leaned forward and kissed the scarred jaw line. " My big boy, already to play with me." The tokujou let his knees bend, his back sliding down the bark, and opened his mouth.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The heat was incredible and Genma tightened his hold, watching the almost pained expressions flicker across Raidou's face as he succumbed to the driving need in his belly.

"Genma, love..." Raidou held his husband close and kissed him deeply as the shudders still wracked through their bodies.

Genma slowly came down from the orgasmic high, the cold air helping with the process.

"Hey, Raidou... How's it hanging, Genma?" The smirk was evident in every bit of Aoba's being as he waved jauntily at the post coital pair.

"Hey, Aoba." Genma managed a lazy wave.

Raidou came down much quicker with the impetus of a spectator. Raidou barely managed a muffled grunt as he fumbled with his pants

Genma ground his hips once more.

Raidou moaned, slick, softening flesh pinned.

"What was that Raidou? I don't think I heard you." Aoba was definitely smirking.

" He said go the fuck on, Aoba." Genma tossed off a shinobi hand sign… one not used in any jutsus, but universally recognized.

Tanned flesh darkened, scars showing more prominently against the blush.

A wicked, yet satisfied, smile spread over Genma's face. " Don't worry. I won't let him see your dick," while a rueful expression settled on Raidou's. " It's aaaaaallllll mine."

"You set me up..." Raidou finally realized.

" Possibly." Yep, Genma was purring again.

"You... and then you... and..." Raidou sputtered incoherently. "I was had... You tricked me into giving you what you wanted," Raidou finally fumbled out.

Genma pulled a hankie from a vest pocket and gently wiped them clean. " Oh, I also expect to be properly nailed when we get home tomorrow morning, as well. Just so you know."

Raidou nodded, clearly not trusting himself to speak.

The soiled hankie was wadded up and shoved into another pocket. Genma smiled as he buttoned up Raidou, then himself. He then looped both arms around the taller man's neck and kissed him soundly.

Raidou finally allowed himself to speak "You're a manipulative son of a bitch, but you're my husband and I love you..."

" You're a gullible bastard, but you're my husband and I love you the more for it..."

"Hmmmm" Raidou's grumble was distinctly bearlike, this time. His lower lip quirked slightly…on any other person Genma would call it a pout.

Genma pressed their crotches together, though decidedly with less force than before "My growly Rai-bear." He smiled.

Raidou tangled his fingers in Genma's honeyed locks. "My sexy little honey-pot."

Genma splayed his fingers over Raidou's lower back.

"I'm sorry I got so caught up in things I neglected this, Genma..." Raidou kissed his husband soundly.

"You know, I didn't get any oral lovin' and we have at least three minutes left..." That sexy, pouty whine of Genma's was back in full force.

Raidou let out a distinct growl. " Don't press your luck, Shiranui..."

"I'd rather press **you**, Namiashi, right back against that tree..." Genma's purr turned to a growl.

Kissing the big man softly, he chuckled and reluctantly turned his lover loose. He reached down and picked up the beer, adjusting his vest before heading to the house.

Raidou kissed Genma's nose then turned to grab the forgotten bag of groceries and the remarkably un-upturned pail of fish. He left the pack with the tarp and blanket beneath the tree.

Genma made sure to wiggle his ass with each step, just for fun...

They walked up the lane and turned into the gate towards the softly glowing lanterns as the thick soft flakes began to fall.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Iruka was checking the nikujaga one last time when a slightly mussed Genma and a heavily breathing Raidou arrived at the door. _Ah, it's going to be one of those nights_. Iruka grinned as he pulled a few pine needles from the honey locks just barely dusted with large, wet flakes. He didn't mind how frisky Genma got tonight, he was just glad everyone was mending from the stresses of the last several months. Genma was carrying 2½ packs of beer and Raidou had a small bag of groceries and, as promised, a pail of fish. "Hey guys, come on in." He opened the door and they removed their zori and outergarments before moving into the kitchen.

"Hey, Ru," Genma entered the kitchen and set the beer on the counter.

"Hey, Iruka. Where's Kakashi?" Raidou set the pail on the floor and began removing ingredients from the bag.

"Still asleep. He was exhausted when he got in last night, so I figured I'd let him sleep till we're ready to eat." Iruka brought Raidou the soy milk and got out the spare rice cooker. "He was a little banged up when he got home, nothing serious, really. I patched up the worst of it, a cracked wrist, and he's pretty much been asleep since then."

Raidou saw the faint blush that stained Iruka's cheeks and idly wondered exactly what that pretty much entailed, but as he wasn't nearly as perverted as Genma, he let it slide.

"Would you check him over later, after dinner, Raidou?" asked the chuunin as he pulled out the bottle opener. "Oooh. The winter brew."

Raidou nodded as he snagged a beer for himself and Genma and started adding the ingredients to the rice cooker. Soy milk, coconut milk, finely minced ginger, and honey joined the rice.

"For once he actually seems to have taken care of himself. He used this jutsu, Rai, and it immobilized it and kept the swelling down…" Iruka got very enthusiastic whenever he encountered a new jutsu he thought would benefit his students.

"Redirected the chakra flow around the joint? Yeah, I know the one, it's an old ANBU trick. A lot of shinobi used it back in the wars, too. Kakashi probably learned it then or maybe from his father. I know he and the Sannin used it more than once back then. They don't teach it anymore, though, because the chakra drain is such a bitch. You can't really move at much more than a walk if you want to be of any use for the next four days. There were several incidents where shinobi overused it and their whole patrol paid the price. Yes, that's the real story behind that ambush near the bordertown by Grass. It's one of those little tidbits they don't really teach in school." Raidou's voice grew quiet and somber. "There were also some rumors that one of the shinobi with Hatake-san used it on **that** mission. That's probably why you haven't encountered it before. Tsunade would probably have Kakashi's hide if she found out he used it on a low-priority mission."

Iruka took a slow pull on his beer and blinked. "Four days? He said he'd be fine after a night's sleep..." He frowned and placed skewered chunks of kabocha on the little ceramic grill.

Genma nonchalantly placed his empty on the counter. "You've said it before, Iruka... Kakashi's definition of fine and any other sane shinobi's definition of fine don't always mesh..."

Iruka growled. "He wasn't walking, either. He was running… at full ANBU pace."

Raidou certainly was glad he wasn't in Kakashi's shoes right now. Still, it probably wasn't as bad as it sounded. He eyed Genma, who was trying to sneak one of the last three cans without him noticing. He was a trained shinobi. Did Genma really think he could get away with it? Even if he did, there was no way to hide the distinctive noise of the can's pop-top. He turned his attention back to his friend. "Relax, Iruka. Knowing him, he tweaked the jutsu a little bit. Even Kakashi isn't that uh... well... you know... " Raidou floundered, looking for a diplomatic word.

"Stupid? Idiotic? Moronic?" Gen offered.

"I was thinking more along the lines of stubborn, maybe." Raidou temporized.

There was a loud pop-hiss sound as Iruka punched the senbon-specialist in the shoulder, followed by a loud slurping sound. Raidou and Iruka joined in laughter as Genma moved to protect his newly semi-opened beer, thin metal sticking out of the top like a straw as he desperately sucked the foaming Kirin. "Describing him, or you, Gen? I seem to remember a time when you were just as stupid and stubborn about doctor visits. More, actually, since your particular ah **afflictions** had such an impact on those around you..."

Genma had the good grace to blush, but, being Genma, hid it behind the can.

"You eventually had some sense knocked into you, I'm sure I can convince Kakashi as well, I may just need to use more creative methods with him." He went silent, probably pondering ways of torturing, ah I mean teaching, the jounin. After watching Raidou smack his husband for trying to peek at the dessert, Iruka decided to put the tokujou to work. "If you have such a fascination with rice cookers, you can start the rice for dinner… and I'm sure Raidou would love your help with the sashimi. Why don't you clean the fish? Then maybe you can manage to stay out of trouble until dinner's served."

Genma grumbled, but brought the rice out of the cupboard, as ordered. After starting up Iruka's well worn but trusty Zo, he carefully washed a kunai in the sink and retrieved the pail of fish. Raidou started to complain at the kunai, but subsided at Iruka's hand on his shoulder. "Which cut, Raidou? You're the expert fisherman who landed these monsters…"

Raidou quirked an eyebrow at the monster moniker being applied to the dozen 6-inch long fish. "These are the last goby we'll have until September. I was lucky to find these so late. It's a bit untraditional, but do either of you mind if we make two types of sashimi?" Both men shook their heads. "Ok, Genma, take half and cut for thread sashimi, very thin lengthwise strips of the skinned filets. For the other six, leave the skin on the filets and we'll put them in ice water until the rice is done. I forgot to ask, Iruka, I'm sure you have shiso leaves, but what about winter melon?"

Iruka thought. "I think there are a few in the root cellar. Want me to check?"

"If you don't mind. It really sets off the fish nicely if you have one, and I can make you and Kakashi some soup one night later this week with the leftovers if Genma doesn't mind carving the bowl for you." Raidou stated as he watched Genma's knife skills in this non-threatening application. Well, non-threatening to anyone but the fish, that is…

Iruka trotted off to the root cellar and Genma looked at Raidou, consideringly through shaggy honey-colored strands, the senbon once more waggling between his lips. "I'm not sure I'm doing this right, Raidou… Can you come over here and check?" (Hook…)

Raidou walked over behind Genma, peering over his shoulder, staying just within peripheral sight, mindful of recent events. "You're doing just fine, Genma. Very thin. Nice work," Raidou commented professionally just before Genma pressed back against Raidou's groin. (Line…)

Genma waggled his senbon suggestively and Raidou groaned, pushing Genma against the kitchen counter (Sinker…) just as Iruka returned with a large, green, waxy gourd. (Awww, the big one got away…)

"You didn't have to send me off for ingredients, Raidou. There's always the bathroom between dinner and dessert," Genma laughed at the blush mottling Raidou's face as Iruka unconsciously echoed Genma's earlier plea.

Raidou apparently decided discretion was the better part of valor and ignored the comment in favor of plating the _fish. The thinly sliced goby was placed atop a bed of shiso leaves in one corner of the plate. Shiso petals were strewn on top. After patting them dry, Raidou placed the now whitened, opaque, slightly curling filets on top of a bed of ice in the other corner of the platter, separating the two preparations with mounds of the shredded white gourd. _

_Iruka finished basting the teriyaki on the grilled squash and started moving the skewers to another platter as Genma put the rice in a large serving bowl. Raidou quickly grated a small mound of ginger to be added to the soy for dipping the __arai__, and brought out the wasabi and soy for the sashimi. Iruka transferred the sweet, sticky mess to a large blue ceramic dish and Raidou quickly added some diced mango before putting it in the refrigerator to chill. Plates and bowls were gathered, serving dishes carried in to the low dining table. Genma selected an appropriate sake to be warmed and a room temperature, yuzu-infused shochu that would be a nice, citrusy accompaniment to the fish. Raidou and Genma finished the last preparations as Iruka softly padded down the hallway to the bedroom. _

He silently slid the door open, the wood worn and smooth from decades of similar motions. The bedroom was still dark, the older shinobi still laying on the thick futon. Iruka watched him for a moment before stepping inside to wake him...


	7. Chapter 7

**Rating: **PG-13, because Genma STILL has roving hands and a potty mouth ;)   
**Pairing**: Kakashi/Iruka Iruka/Kakashi I like my boys to switch xD same with Raidou and Genma :D  
**Status**: WIP, but hope to finish soon... yes, I know you've heard that from me before, lol. **  
Summary**: Kakashi returns from a mission; Iruka patches him up and fluffiness ensues. Kinda…  
**Genre: **WAFF, fairly mild angst (it always slips in there if I'm writing Kakashi, doesn't it?) HC  
**Warnings**: biseinen ai, coarse language and provocative conversation, medical imagery, blah blah blah  
**Disclaimer**: I asked Kishimoto-san for several shinobi for my birthday… I kinda conveniently forgot to put them back when I was done… So technically they aren't mine, but I think they have a lot more fun with me…

**Author's Notes: **Thank you to Hatochan my sane island in an ocean of insanity… you're the reason I started writing again and the reason I continue, despite my doubts and all the little bumps in the road… this is part of Hatochan's Tolerant Intolerant universe and occurs just before Hato's Playing Doctor, but works better if you read it after hers. This and Playing Doctor occur 3-3 ½ months after the wedding from her Along the Way: Ch.10 – Prancing… so it's January. They are married and living together in a house, so the old apartments are now gone... and I know it's amazing, but NO chapter notes this time...

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kakashi had a vague impression of a large, menacing form looming just out of sight. Flames crackled, blood flowed freely, and harsh cries pierced the flickering darkness. He tried to move forward, filled with a vague sense of dread, knowing he had to get to Namikaze-sensei before...

A strong arm grasped him, shaking him, and if he concentrated, he could hear the voice calling to him. _Kakashi..._ He stopped, held by the voice. _Kakashi_... It came again. The voice became more insistent and pulled him back.

He opened his eyes, blinking a few times as his eyes adjusted to the bedside light. Iruka was carefully shaking his upper arm, trying not to jostle his injured wrist and shoulder. Kakashi took a deep breath, willing his racing heart to slow. The dream had been so vivid, and he still felt the sick sense of dread and impending doom in the pit of his stomach. "It's okay, Iruka, I'm awake."

"I didn't hurt your arm or shoulder shaking you, did I?" Iruka always made a habit of waking Kakashi carefully. The jounin had never yet had a problem forgetting himself as he woke, but it paid to be doubly careful in a shinobi village. Iruka always shook Kakashi's right shoulder, signally a 'safe waking' and took special care to not wake him too abruptly soon after long or particularly hazardous missions.

"It's okay, Iruka. I guess I was just really asleep. I'm fine. How long was I out?" Kakashi stifled a yawn.

"A good twenty hours, or so. I'll help you up. It's probably a little awkward trying to sit up with your arm strapped to you like that." Iruka eased him to a seated position and helped him up. "I'll lay out some clothes and you can come out when you're dressed. I need to go finish helping Raidou and Genma bring out the food. Call if you need anything."

Kakashi made his way to their bathroom. He'd definitely be glad when he could take the sling off. The stiff canvas was chafing his shoulder unbearably, and he must have shifted in his sleep and caught one of the straps somewhere, because the tips of two fingers were tingling mildly as if they'd lost circulation. Besides, having his arm strapped firmly to him upset his sense of balance and hampered him far too much for his comfort.

He awkwardly pushed the pajama pants down over his hips left-handed and immediately cursed when he stumbled forward slightly, forgetting his right arm was no longer free to brace him against the wall as he took a piss.

He cursed a bit more fluently when he went to wash his hands… errr, hand. Working up a lather was a bit difficult, one-handed. He splashed some water on his face and reached for his toothbrush….

…and cursed again. Quite colorfully… and in several different languages. Maybe if he had a kunai? He set down the toothbrush, deciding it wasn't worth fighting with the toothpaste tube. He walked back to the bedroom and managed to don the fresh pants without more than a grumble or two. The grumble was a little louder when he realized Iruka clearly expected him to wear the waiting yukata as well, but he grudgingly admitted it would probably be a little uncomfortable wearing only the bandage and sling, even with fires going in each of the rooms, not to mention the difficulty of wearing a shirt over top of the sling, and obviously Iruka was waiting till Raidou looked at his wrist before he removed it.

He awkwardly shrugged into the robe, reluctantly leaving it hanging open. He scowled when he realized he couldn't even tie the black silk scarf he covered his sharingan with at home. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of himself in the mirror, unpleased with the scruffy picture before him, and made his way to the dining room.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Genma looked up in time to see a smile filled with equal parts of joy, tenderness, and possessiveness when Iruka abruptly paused in the midst of a joke at Genma's expense.

Kakashi had just entered the room, a pair of loose dark blue pants slung low on his hips, drawstring dangling freely. A muted blue yukata was draped across his shoulders, hanging open across a pale chest covered only in a bandage, a dark canvas sling, and a dusting of silvery curls. His hair was a bit tousled and slightly damp, and if you were looking carefully, and Iruka certainly was, you could see a faint sheen of stubble when the light fell on his face just… like… that… Scars of various ages gleamed white, pink, and red against the exposed ivory. His left eye was shut tightly and he trailed a piece of dark fabric from his unbound hand. The open eye held a look of mute appeal as he held the scarf out to Iruka. All in all he presented an unlikely combination of sexy, bed-mussed jounin and cranky toddler just up from a nap that Iruka found utterly irresistible.

Raidou caught the look also, as well as Iruka's reaction to it, and wondered who would be the first to pull a willing husband aside to an empty room, Genma or Iruka.

Iruka tied the fabric at an angle over the sharingan, and a tanned hand rested lovingly on the back of Kakashi's neck before sliding down to take his husband's free hand and lead him to the dinner table.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Kakashi was ready to apologize to everyone and return to bed.

Iruka was seated right next to him at the table, filling his plate and ready to help with anything Kakashi couldn't reach_. Filling isn't much of an exaggeration… I'll never be able to eat all this. I'd be sick if I tried to eat half of it…_ Genma sat directly across from them, using the excuse to sit close enough to grab Raidou under the table if the bodyguard's mottled red skin and sputtering were any indication.

He felt slightly removed and distant from the happy gathering of friends laughing and enjoying dinner, an observer apart from it all, instead of a participant. The worst of the previous night's bone-numbing exhaustion had been banished, although he wouldn't have minded another ten or twelve hours of sleep. And the vague empty feeling in his stomach reminded him he should at least try to eat some of the dinner he knew Iruka and Raidou had put such effort into. And really, a quiet dinner at home with Raidou and Genma wasn't such a chore… was a much more enjoyable prospect, in fact, than the diplomatic banquet Tsunade had so kindly 'requested' his presence at last week. But still…

He was feeling rather like the cranky toddler Iruka compared him to. He was still much more tired than he had thought he would be when he used the jutsu. _Either I'm getting old or I overestimated how much the effort would take out of me… Or both_. A dull ache was throbbing just above and behind his temples. _Stress headache_, _because I'm frustrated all out of proportion by all the little things this evening. _That frustration increased when he tried a mental relaxation exercise and realized the amount of effort it was requiring just to regulate his breathing and heartbeat. _Pffft. Still too tired to even concentrate properly on even minor things. _

_Hmmm. Could I get away with just making my excuses, ripping off the sling, and crawling into bed? No, Iruka would see more into it than is there and insist on examining me further, and I'm just too tired for that. Surprised he hasn't asked me about the headache yet. He's probably waiting till I'm lulled into a false sense of security before he pounces._

He pushed the food around on his plate, only making a half-hearted attempt to eat. _Doesn't taste as good as I expected. Odd. Usually, when Iruka and Raidou get together in the kitchen the food is even better than either of them manages alone. Maybe I'm just too tired to give it the attention it deserves_. Of course, it was hard to give the meal proper consideration when he was expending so much effort to use his chopsticks left-handed. A burst of laughter came from across the table as Genma fed Raidou a morsel from his plate. _At least it's good to see them well and whole and happy together._

He frowned slightly as a particularly wicked throbbing made itself known in addition to the muffled twinges at his temples. _Great. Getting dehydrated, too._ _ Oh well, at least I can enjoy a few sips of nice, cold beer. _He lifted his glass to his lips, looking forward to the slightly bitter, malty brew and nearly choked trying not to spit the concoction out when it disappointed. _What the hell? _His mood was turning sour very rapidly.

Iruka patted Kakashi's back, concerned. "Did your cider go down the wrong way, Kakashi?"

"Cider?" Kakashi repeated, dumbly.

Iruka nodded. "Pear cider. I thought you might appreciate it more than water. It's really easy to drink and will help keep you hydrated. I know by now that's always an issue with you. I'll save one of the beers for you for tomorrow. You know you can't have anything before Raidou checks your wrist."

_Fruit juice. _Kakashi sighed. _At least he didn't serve it in one of Naruto's old sippy cups_.

He drank the unsatisfying cider and choked down a few more bites of tasteless food.

Bed was sounding better and better.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Raidou and Iruka were carrying leftover food and stacks of plates and bowls to the kitchen.

Iruka was in danger of dropping the pot of stew because he was laughing so hard. "I'm sure that's exactly what Genma was thinking. Aoba was just here to drop off another proposed change for ANBU training. Every time someone gets a brilliant idea for 'new and improved' training, she sends the scroll to Kakashi first. Shizune doesn't even complain that Tsunade's letting him take care of the filing."

Raidou joined in the laughter, knowing the jounin wouldn't hesitate to place some half-assed ridiculous goat-screw scheme into the circular file, where it belonged.

"How's he adjusting to everything, lately? No more incidents like last year? He was fairly quiet tonight." Raidou had grown much closer to Kakashi since Genma and Iruka's disastrous mission last summer. Recent events had only made their bond stronger.

"About as well as you, I suppose. More accepting some days than others. And no, that hasn't been an issue lately. I think he finally learned that sharing a problem and talking about it doesn't make him weak, and that I'm more than strong enough to share his burdens. I guess he was a little quiet at dinner, but it was a long journey back, so he's probably just really tired. I don't think I've ever seen him quite that exhausted without being on the edge of total chakra depletion." Iruka transferred the leftover food to plastic containers and placed it in the refrigerator as he spoke. "You will make sure he didn't damage anything permanently with that jutsu, won't you?"

"I don't think that's even possible, Iruka. But yeah, I'll make sure nothing else is wrong other than his wrist. You're worrying too much about him lately. I know things have been rough the last year, but give him some credit for being able to take care of himself. He's been a jounin for well over fifteen years, now. He's been running missions for ANBU off and on for almost as long." Raidou smiled, "He's all grown up and old enough to be married, Iruka. Even Genma can manage to take care of himself with lots of supervision."

They chuckled as the object of their mirth entered the door from the garden, covered in snow and dragging the previously forgotten pack. "Don't think I didn't hear that, Raidou." Genma shivered, quite ostentatiously. "Next time, you can get the pack, I don't care what you promise. It's cold out there." The tokujou started stripping snow-covered garments off by the kitchen-hearth.

Iruka hung the damp fabric before the fire to dry.

Genma ran his fingers through his hair, trying to dislodge the flakes rapidly melting in the sudden warmth. "I'm gonna get a towel. Gotta take a leak anyway."

"Okay. Tell Kakashi we're having dessert in the living room. He should appreciate that, it's a lot warmer and more comfortable in there; the dining room's a little drafty." Iruka grabbed a stack of firewood from the pile by the hearth as Raidou carried a tray with dessert, a pot of tea, and a bottle of sake.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Genma stuck his head into the dining room. _Nope, no Kakashi here_. He checked in the guest bathroom. _Empty_. _Hmmm. Come out, come out wherever you are_… He wondered if Kakashi had ever done anything as normal as play Hide and Seek for fun. _Probably not. If he had, his opponents would never have asked again. He just would have summoned his ninken and treated it as a tracking exercise._ Genma wondered where Kakashi could be. _Oh well, I'll just grab a towel from Iruka's bathroom and tell him I couldn't find him. He's probably in the living room already_.

Genma was reaching for the door handle when a quiet sound made him stop. He could hear the soft sound of running water, but just beneath it… He leaned closer to the door and could just make out the quiet retching. _Ohhhh. Sneaking off so Iruka won't know he's losing what little he ate of dinner… Bad idea, Kakashi, he'll find out. The chibi's perceptive. He __**always**__ finds out…_ The sound ended, and the running water became louder. _Shit. He'll close up and hide everything if he knows I heard_. Genma hurried back down the hallway and called Kakashi's name, as if he were trying to find him.

Kakashi slowly walked from the bathroom, face still wet from hastily splashed water. "Genma?"

Genma walked up to the tired jounin. "Hey, Kakashi, Iruka sent me to tell you dessert is in the living room_." Yep, he was definitely sick. Doesn't take an Inuzuka nose to tell that… Talk about stubborn… anyone else would still be in bed, sleeping off the effects. Oh well, if he hasn't realized it yet, Iruka's more stubborn than he is._ _He'll break him of the habit soon enough, Kami knows he straightened me out. Oh wait, he's shaking just a bit, too. Maybe he __**did**__ overdo it with that jutsu_. "I'm just gonna grab a towel. Snow got my hair wet. I'll catch up with you in a sec."

Genma snooped around the bathroom. _Can't smell blood or anything else other than him puking up his toenails. Hmmm, doesn't smell like any of those nasty poisons from Grass, or anything. I'll make sure Raidou and Iruka know, but at least it isn't urgent._ He grabbed a towel, vigorously drying his wet hair, and walked down the hall after Kakashi. _Good thing Raidou made okayu. It should settle Kakashi's stomach quick enough._


	8. Chapter 8

**Rating**: PG-13, for cursing

**Pairing**: Kakashi/Iruka Iruka/Kakashi I like my boys to switch xD same with Raidou and Genma

**Status**: WIP, but hope to finish soon... yes, I know you've heard that from me before, lol.

**Summary**: Kakashi returns from a mission; Iruka patches him up and fluffiness ensues. Kinda…

**Genre**: WAFF, fairly mild angst (it always slips in there if I'm writing Kakashi, doesn't it?) HC

**Warnings**: biseinen ai, yaoi, coarse language and provocative conversation, medical imagery, blah blah blah

**Disclaimer**: I asked Kishimoto-san for several shinobi for my birthday… I kinda conveniently forgot to put them back when I was done… So technically they aren't mine, but I think they have a lot more fun with me…

**Author's Notes**: Thank you to Hatochan, my sane island in an ocean of insanity… you're the reason I started writing again and the reason I continue, despite my doubts and all the little bumps in the road… this is part of Hatochan's Tolerant Intolerant universe and occurs just before Hato's Playing Doctor, but works better if you read it after hers. This and Playing Doctor occur about 3 - 3 ½ months after the wedding from her Along the Way: Ch.10 – Prancing. They are married and living together in a house, so the old apartments are now gone...

Hatochan's Playing Doctor is fairly explicit, guys. DO NOT read if you're not legal... or if you can't handle some yummy kinkiness... ;) it's on the KakaIru LiveJournal and Notes: Yes… Chapter notes again, deal with it : ) Most sake sets sold today are ceramic, but may be glass or lacquered plastic. The flask and cups may be sold individually as well. The serving piece of a sake set is a flask called a _tokkuri_. _Tokkuri _are generally flared at the bottom but with a narrow neck. Sake is often warmed by placing the sake-filled _tokkuri _in hot water, so the narrow neck helps keeps the heat and alcohol inside the flask.

Traditionally, sake is served in a wooden box, known as a _masu_. It is a standard measurement, about 6 oz. Today, sake purists shun the _masu _because the wood (traditionally highly aromatic cedar) affects the flavor of modern delicate tasting sakes. Originally, sake was brewed in wood barrels, and the cedar complemented the taste. As the traditional sake-serving cup and a symbol of prosperity, the _masu _still has a place in modern times and is still used for the purpose of ceremony or to show generosity. In some of the more traditional Japanese restaurants, the server may put a glass inside the _masu _(or put the _masu _inside a saucer) and pour until the sake overflows and spills into the secondary container.

Nowadays, the sake is typically served in ceramic cups. The cups used for drinking sake are generally small cylindrical cups called _ochoko_, but may also include flatter, saucer-like bowls. _Sakazuki _are more ceremonial cups used most commonly at weddings and other special occasions, but larger versions of _sakazuki _also exist for binge drinking. It is not at all traditional, but shot glasses are also sometimes used. In the United States, they are used instead of _ochoko_, but in Japan, they are used with a _masu_. Sake stemware is also becoming available.

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Iruka busied himself building up the fire to comfortable proportions while Raidou set the tray on the low table before Iruka's battered but cozy couch. Kakashi and Genma arrived shortly thereafter, and Raidou brought each of them a small plate with assorted cut fruit and wagashi, as well as a small portion of the rice pudding and a mug of the tea. Predictably, Genma held up his ochoko for Raidou to fill. Genma then picked up the tokkuri. "Raidou, Iruka?" Iruka offered his cup to be filled.

Genma sat curled with Raidou on the couch, feeding his husband tidbits of the fruit and wagashi. Kakashi reclined against Iruka, on a pile of oversized cushions on the floor. Several moments passed in convivial conversation as they sipped and munched. Raidou was pleased to note that Kakashi seemed to be enjoying himself a bit more and had gained a tinge of pink to his face. Genma laughingly teased Raidou with a large strawberry, holding it just out of reach, and quickly found himself pinned beneath the larger man, as Raidou ate the juicy red fruit from suddenly captive fingers. When Raidou licked the stickiness away, Genma made his pleasure in the situation (and his position) well known. Kakashi smiled lazily, body shaking as Iruka chuckled indulgently behind him.

Emptied plates and cups littered the tabletop, and Genma and Iruka bantered back and forth, the evening's beer, sake, and shochu starting to take its toll on their sobriety. The laughter became louder and the jokes and stories bawdier, and Raidou even shocked Genma with a raunchy little song of a daimyo's over-attentive wife. Iruka decided evenings like this were all too rare, and blessed Raidou for his foresight in suggesting them in the early days after Genma's and Iruka's torture. It was now a tradition. Twice a month, as long as missions allowed, the two couples got together for dinner, companionship, and some much needed downtime, and if said relaxation occasionally included perhaps a sight more alcohol than was probably good for them the next morning, no one ever remarked on that. It was a well-respected tradition among warriors the world over, and tradition was to be respected… _Kanpai_.

Raidou watched as Kakashi relaxed more and more against Iruka, and he smiled as Kakashi's gray eye glazed over, dipping closer and closer to sleep. "Iruka," Raidou whispered, gesturing to the pale man. Iruka smiled as well, softly petting the tousled silver hair.

"Hey, guys, be back in a few. Might as well toss this towel. If I'm gonna leave a wet spot on your couch, it won't be from melted snow." Genma smirked around his senbon as Raidou scowled at the crudity of his remark. "Besides, I gotta take a piss." He grabbed the previously discarded towel for disposal in the hamper.

"Genma? Since you're headed there anyway, would you get the big med kit from the bedroom closet? Top shelf, you can't miss it." Iruka obviously wasn't going anywhere soon with a lap full of half-sleeping jounin.

"Sure, Iruka, no problem. Be back in a bit." Genma left the room, quietly whistling and swinging the still-damp towel.

Kakashi sighed and settled against Iruka, falling more deeply into the twilight of a half-drowse.

Iruka shook his head and turned to his long time friend. " I didn't know till you told me just how much this jutsu must have taken out of him. I saw how tired he was last night, but I thought that was from the mission. I would have postponed dinner for another night if I'd known." The chuunin sighed. "Why does he do things like this, Raidou?"

Raidou gave Iruka's knee a fond squeeze. "Iruka, you know he doesn't do any of this on purpose. He just doesn't think like you do, and prioritizes things differently. You know Genma never falls into his situations on purpose. Although I'm tempted to say that's because he just doesn't think at all, not because he thinks differently." Raidou smiled in affectionate amusement. "I know, that's not fair, he does think. He just doesn't think things through to their natural, inevitable, disastrous conclusion. Things seem to… happen when he's around, which isn't his fault, but… trouble just seems to follow him. Don't know why I'm explaining, we've all been friends forever, and you know Genma and how he is as well as anyone, and accept that. Just do the same for Kakashi. You knew him when he was young… use that insight. Don't try to change him, try to understand why he does the things that are bothering you."

Iruka nodded, obviously mulling over his older friend's advice, fingers softly massaging the silver temples.

Raidou continued, "Let's try it with this situation. You're upset because you think he ran an unnecessary risk performing this jutsu, right? From Kakashi's perspective, though, it's different. He was injured on a solo mission, sensed bad weather coming, and was already cold, tired, hungry, and lonely. The mission was over and what was the first and foremost thought in his head? Getting home quickly and safely to you. " A brown hand scrubbed through even darker brown spikes." Have you noticed anything different since you got married?"

Iruka's brows drew together, considering.

Raidou shared his observation with his friend. " It's something that I noticed about Genma, and even myself, after our wedding. Kakashi hasn't been injured nearly as much, or as badly. He's taking better care of himself because he knows what it would do to you to lose him. You came close to dying in his arms. That had an effect on me I can't even begin to explain and I don't want to imagine what it did to Kakashi. He was there for you every step of the way through your therapy - physical and psychological. He went with you to joint therapy sessions and didn't once screw with the shrinks' heads. You know he could run circles around them, between his intelligence and the ANBU training. Ibiki only has two who aren't scared shitless of being ordered to treat him. The only reason Ibiki's guys could go up against him and make it out intact is because one of them is smarter than Kakashi and Shikamaru combined, and the other might just be half crazy himself. My point is, maybe to him, coming home quickly and safely to you meant that much. He loves you and he knows you'll do what's right for him, even when he doesn't exactly like your idea of what's right for him. Doesn't sound so strange or hard to understand, now. In fact, I bet that makes it a little harder to stay mad at him, doesn't it?"

Iruka had a considering look on his face._ Is it truly that simple? Maybe I have been trying to change Kakashi instead of trying to understand him. _Kakashi did trust Iruka's judgment. If Iruka said it was a serious injury, it was a serious injury, and it was treated, for the most part, with care. If Iruka said it was minor, well, if Iruka said it was minor it tended to be ignored except for the sympathy it could garner him. Iruka smiled, the thoughts flowing easily once his friend set them in motion. He accepted Genma's quirks and flaws; it was time he learned to do the same for his own husband.

Iruka stroked one pale cheek. "I hate to wake him up if he's this tired, but I would feel better knowing for sure he's okay." He shook Kakashi carefully. "Kakashi. Wake up, love." He shook a bit more, and Kakashi groaned, blinking and frowning as Iruka helped to the couch. "Hey, babe, sorry to interrupt your nap. Let Raidou check you out and then you can go back to bed."

Kakashi nodded sleepily and barely stifled a yawn. Iruka threw a few more logs on the fire before easing the yukata from pale shoulders.

Genma entered with a puzzled look on his face. "Uh, Iruka?

Iruka turned to the tokujou. "Genma, where's the med kit?"

"Yeah, about that... What the fuck's up with your closet?" Confusion warred with annoyance on the senbon specialist's face.

"Huh? What do you mean what's wrong with my closet?" Bewilderment clouded Iruka's expression as well.

"It won't open." Annoyance won the battle.

"What do you mean it won't open? You just lift the latch and slide the doors apart…" The chuunin raised a brow and motioned with his hand, mimicking the opening action.

"Yeah, I'm familiar with the concept... Except yours won't fucking cooperate." Genma made another gesture, cruder than Iruka's but also familiar.

Iruka's confusion grew exponentially at the other man's insistence. "The doors are fine. I got Kakashi's yukata out just before dinner."

"Well it's not fine now. Maybe it sticks in cold weather or something. This is the first bad weather you've had since you moved in." Genma flung the threadbare excuse out, irritated at the obvious disbelief his words were earning.

Raidou began undoing the straps and removing the hated sling. "Just go take care of it." He waved Iruka and Genma on and continued unwrapping Kakashi's wrist and arm.

Iruka followed Genma down the hall to the bedroom. "What's the deal, Genma?"

"No deal, I told you it won't open." Genma pulled the doors apart. Or tried to, that is. They wouldn't budge. "See? Told you it wouldn't open."

Iruka looked at the door. "I just opened it a few hours ago..." He pulled the handles and the doors easily slid open.

"What the hell?" Genma closed the doors rather forcefully and then attempted pulling them apart again, cursing when they remained stubbornly closed.

Iruka pulled them apart with two fingers.

"Showoff..." Genma clicked the senbon against his teeth.

Iruka grinned. "I'm assuming Kakashi has the door trapped somehow. Probably has it keyed in to our chakra so only we can get in."

"That's paranoid even for a crazy jounin," Genma sounded impressed.

Iruka laughed. "Yeah, but it's a trait that's probably come in handy over the years."

Genma grunted in agreement.

Iruka opened the door once more and pulled the kit from the top shelf. A light touch on his shoulder stopped him before he exited their bedroom. Dark eyes turned questioningly towards the older man.

"There is one thing you should know, though, Iruka. Earlier, just before dessert, Kakashi pretty much lost the little bit of dinner he did eat. " Genma cast a quick glance out into the hallway, as though assuring their privacy. " I snooped around for a minute after he came out, but I couldn't sense anything else, no blood or anything, and I couldn't find any trace of poison. I figured you should know. Once or twice isn't anything to worry about, especially if he was dosing himself with antidotes for Grass's poisons, but if it's more than a few times, get him checked out." The senbon shinobi's expression was earnest, the concern apparent in his eyes, but not enough to alarm his friend.

Iruka nodded, thinking over the serious implications of what Genma was telling him.

He patted Iruka on the shoulder. "It's just one of those things you probably haven't had much experience with until you got tangled up with him. Kakashi's been doing this long enough he probably mixes up his own antidote blends based on mission parameters. Most ANBU I know keep a few custom bottles lying around. Anyway, find out which ones he uses and I'll give him a few suggestions, tweak his blends a bit for him. I can give him a few recipes of things to brew up for some nice little post-mission detox cocktails, too. They help a hell of a lot with some of the antidotes' nastier side effects. " Genma made a face recognizable by anyone in the position of giving cough syrup to a youngster. " It's actually a shame that some of the poisons have a nice flavor to them, but every single antidote is just plain nasty." Genma laughed at the chuunin's look of surprise, a harsh sound in the quiet bedroom. "You've certainly learned a lot of lessons since Kakashi let his flat go, haven't you?"

"Yeah. I know I don't do as many missions since I started teaching full time at the academy, but I've always been more than competent. " Iruka leaned against the wall, fingers idly sliding along the edges of the med kit as he spoke. " I guess everyone has an idea about ANBU and what that involves, but it never really hit me exactly how much more there is to being a jounin, too. You'd be surprised how much I've been able to adapt and add to the lessons at the academy, though. I always run the new material past Kakashi, or Ibiki if Kakashi's not here, but we did update the curriculum a lot over the summer, and we keep revising even now."

Genma nodded and shifted his weight to one foot, thumbs tucking into the back of his waistband. "We should probably get back with the bandages and stuff, Iruka. Just ask Kakashi what combinations he uses and tell him I'll whip something up for him, okay?" Genma put an arm around the chuunin's shoulder and herded him to the door.

"Yeah, you're right, and I will." They quietly walked down the hall.

They entered to see Raidou kneeling on the floor between Kakashi's knees, halfway through unwinding the bandage around the jounin's torso and shoulder. He looked up with his usual bright smile. "Good job with the wrist, Iruka, looks like it's healing fine. Should be completely healed in two weeks or so. Can you get out some more bandages and antibiotic salve? I want to re-wrap this arm before I get to that scratch on his stomach."

Iruka pulled out a small assortment of bandages, tape, gauze, scissors, and a tube of ointment.

Raidou cleaned the deep gouges on the arm and re-bandaged them, smearing a generous portion of ointment on the broken flesh. "Not too tight, is it?"

Kakashi wearily shook his head.

"Ok, let's finish up so you can get back to sleep." Raidou finished unwrapping the long bandage and peeled the gauze pad away from the gash across Kakashi's stomach. "Doesn't look too bad. Kunai?"

"Yeah." Kakashi never even flinched as Raidou cleaned the cut.

"At least it was a glancing blow. This will be gone in a few days." The tokujo taped another clean pad in place, covering it with an elastic bandage. "The shoulder wounds were senbon, right? No fever, nausea, cramping, headache, or anything?"

"Yeah, senbon. Still got them. Put them in my weapon's pouch when I pulled them out. They weren't poisoned, though. I'm fine, just still really tired." Kakashi's voice was raspy and low, a sure indication of his exhaustion.

Genma noticed Kakashi didn't fully answer Raidou's question.

Raidou rose from the floor and moved behind the jounin. "Kakashi, have you been scratching these at all?"

Kakashi smothered another yawn. "Wish I could have, but Iruka strapped me in that sling as soon as I got out of the shower last night. They itch like hell, but I couldn't reach them even if they hadn't been covered over. Feels like the fucking canvas rubbed them raw, though."

Reaching forward to remove the wildly colored bandages, Raidou was surprised at the heat coming off the man's shoulder and neck. He leaned closer for a better look and noticed the whole area was swollen and puffy. "Iruka, go get his weapon's pouch. Now."

Iruka turned a questioning glance towards Raidou, but ran off at the look on the older brunette's face.

Raidou grit his teeth and turned his gaze on the silver-haired man, voice even and strong despite the obvious edge to it. "I'm going to ask you this once, Hatake… Why did you hide this from Iruka? You know what this will do to him."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kakashi hissed as Raidou pulled a bandage loose.

Genma released a low whistle.

The irritated tokujo ignored Genma and pulled another bandage loose. "I'm talking about these, Kakashi. These wounds are infected. I find it hard to believe that a shinobi of your experience could miss these signs." Raidou pulled three more bandages in quick succession, favoring effectiveness over gentleness. "Infected this bad, you've got to be running a fever, be nauseous, and probably have a splitting headache, too. No wonder you're so tired. You need to go to the hospital. Now, before they get worse." A muscle jumped along the older man's tightly held jaw.

The men in the room were not prepared for the angered reaction they received from the wounded. "Fuck you, Namiashi, Iruka checked them out last night. I'm not hiding anything from him. I learned that lesson, already." Kakashi smacked away the hands prodding at his shoulder. "Any problems I might have are from being tired and the aftereffects of the antidotes I took before the mission. I'm not going to the hospital. It's nothing. Is Genma not letting you play doctor at home, so you're fucking with me, now?" Kakashi growled. He stood on less than confident legs, fully intending to storm from the room.

Iruka returned with Kakashi's weapons pack just in time to hear shouting and see the jounin sway on his feet. Iruka rushed forward and eased the falling man into a slump on the floor, cradling him close. "Kakashi, are you okay?" Kakashi stared, for a moment unable to speak, before dropping his gaze. "Kakashi?"

"Iruka, he needs to go to the hospital, now. It's some sort of infection, I think. The three of us together should be able to teleport him that far." Raidou spoke calmly in his deep voice, laying a comforting hand on Iruka's shoulder.

Iruka saw the barely discernible fever tremors in the pale hands and took the silver head firmly in both hands. "Kakashi," he said slowly and firmly, looking him directly in the eyes. "Look at me. I can't help if you don't let me know what's happening." Iruka pulled his husband close and placed a slow, lingering kiss on his forehead.

"I don't know. Raidou was looking at my shoulder and now I'm on the floor. What happened?" Kakashi lifted his head a little and the blood drained from his face.

"Kakashi?" Iruka asked. The jounin became non-responsive and Iruka laid the other man on the floor. Raidou helped him do a quick injury check. "Hey, you still with me, love?"

"Yeah." The voice sounded weak and confused, even to his ears.

"Are you ok?" Iruka stroked the pale cheek.

Kakashi briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm just a little tired. Can we go home, now?"

"Kakashi, you aren't making any sense, we are home. I want to take you in for a checkup. I'm worried," Iruka saw the angry welts covering Kakashi's neck and shoulder. The whole area was red and puffy, with darker red encircling each wound. The six wounds had a pale sunken area at the center and oozed a clear liquid. Iruka looked at Raidou.

"They're beyond anything I know. He needs a doctor." Raidou handed the worried spouse a blanket and told Genma to grab Kakashi's pack.

Iruka looked at Raidou and nodded. He embraced his husband, pulling him close, enfolding them both in the blanket. He stood with the jounin in his arms "Let's go."

Raidou and Genma began the series of hand signals required for teleportation

"No, no doctors, no hospital! Please, Iruka!" Kakashi began struggling in earnest as the smoke swirled and with a loud pop they disappeared.


	9. Chapter 9

**Rating**: PG-13, for Genma being Genma… and for Shizune and Tsunade aiding and abetting  
**Pairing**: Kakashi/Iruka Iruka/Kakashi I like my boys to switch xD same with Raidou and Genma  
**Status**: WIP, but hope to finish soon... yes, I know you've heard that from me before, lol.  
**Summary**: Kakashi returns from a mission; Iruka patches him up and fluffiness ensues. Kinda…  
**Genre**: WAFF, fairly mild angst (it always slips in there if I'm writing Kakashi, doesn't it?) HC  
**Warnings**: biseinen ai, yaoi, coarse language and provocative conversation, medical imagery  
**Disclaimer**: I asked Kishimoto-san for several shinobi for my birthday… I kinda conveniently forgot to put them back when I was done… So technically they aren't mine, but I think they have a lot more fun with me…  
**Author's Notes: **Thank you to Hatochan, for more than you'll hopefully ever know. You're the reason I started writing again and the reason I continue, despite my doubts and all the little bumps in the road… this is part of Hatochan's Tolerant Intolerant universe and occurs just before Hato's Playing Doctor, but works better if you read it after hers. This and Playing Doctor occur about 3 - 3 ½ months after the wedding from her Along the Way: Ch.10 – Prancing. They are married and living together in a house, so the old apartments are now gone...

Hatochan's Playing Doctor is fairly explicit, guys. DO NOT read if you're not legal... or if you can't handle some yummy kinkiness... ;) it's on the KakaIru LiveJournal and also to FrackinSweet for helping keep me sane on the busride from hell, and to Ofuda, for providing the soundtrack for it…

"No doctors! I don't need to go to the hospital! Iruka!" An irrational panic made instinct and training take over, and Kakashi began struggling wildly.

As they popped into existence at the hospital, Iruka found himself pushed to the floor from the force of the sick man's struggles.

Genma slammed hard into the opposite wall and another body.

Raidou ducked as Kakashi began gathering the energy for a chidori blast, and grabbed the erratic jounin in a tight bear hug and refused to let go.

Before Iruka could even regain his feet beneath him, Genma tossed off three senbon. Despite the spooked shinobi's thrashing, all landed in a tight cluster right on the pressure point of Kakashi's uninjured shoulder.

Genma sagged back against the wall… against the wall and the body behind him. A lock of blonde hair fell over his shoulder and he registered the…softness pillowing him. _Shit. It just __**has**__ to be her, doesn't it_?

He scrambled to his feet and Tsunade grabbed him as he almost toppled face first to the floor. She'd heard the sickening thud as Genma's head smacked the wall, and she eased him to the ground.

Raidou stumbled backwards from the double hit of an explosion rocking the room and Kakashi falling back heavily, insensible and motionless, to the floor.

Iruka pulled out a bandage and pressed it to the deep score which angled high along Raidou's cheekbone, a thin, furrow which fortunately stopped just sort of Raidou's eye.

The room suddenly filled with medics. The immediate cause of all the destruction lay unmoving on the floor, limbs askew and limp as a discarded child's plaything.

The medical staff jumped to their assigned tasks as Tsunade barked orders left and right. Two medics carefully shifted Genma to a stretcher as he protested feebly. They carried him off and Tsunade followed the stretcher to an empty treatment room.

Shizune took over Raidou's care, and Iruka found himself pushed aside as another healer came to treat the now contained Kakashi. As soon as the room had filled it cleared again, and Iruka was left staring at the smoking rubble of the outer wall.

He realized at once where Raidou and Genma must have brought them… the secure wing of the emergency room. Although not exclusively for their use, it was used mainly for jouninwho might accidentally hurt themselves and others in a highly confused, injured state, and ANBU who posed a danger to themselves and others because their injuries rendered them not in complete control of their faculties. Unfortunately, the same traits that helped them perform their duties could backfire and turn them into dangerous, rampaging panic-stricken bundles of paranoia when bewildered and hurt.

This wing was made to contain the inevitable chaos and protect the staff and other waiting patients from accidental injury. In other words, for incidents just such as this one. Chakra wards immediately alerted the medical staff when a patient was brought in. They scrambled in to subdue and contain as much as treat their patient. Iruka fell to a chair, wondering how everything could have gone so wrong in less than five minutes. He didn't even know where he should go or what he should be doing now. The staff had cleared the room so quickly he'd not even gotten a chance to ask any questions. He heard soft footsteps behind him and turned at the familiar voice. "Iruka-sensei?"

"Sakura-chan?" Despite the gravity of the situation, he had a smile for his former student.

"Tsunade-sama sent me to get the details of what happened." She looked at the remains of he wall. "Kakashi-sensei did that?"

Iruka nodded. "He was more than a bit agitated when we brought him in. I didn't realize…" The uncovered forehead crinkled and his voice trailed off.

"Sickness or injury loosens the tight controls the higher level shinobi keep on themselves, Iruka-sensei. This isn't an uncommon occurrence, although this is the first time I've seen anyone destroy these walls. They're a foot thick and chakra-enforced. We'll have to come up with something stronger or else make sure Kakashi-sensei isn't so excited next time," Sakura smiled at the obvious understatement. "Let's go somewhere else and you can explain everything."

"That's probably a good idea, Sakura-chan. This doesn't seem to be the safest place to wait." The hole Kakashi had blown through the wall was evidence of that. There was no telling what would happen if another injured ANBU or bat-shit crazy jounin was brought in for treatment.

Iruka followed her from the lobby into an empty exam room. "He returned last night from a mission to Grass with a cracked wrist, several assorted minor scrapes and cuts, and several senbon wounds to the neck and shoulder. The wrist seemed to be the worst injury. I used to a jutsu to speed the healing and put him to bed. He uh used a jutsu Tsunade-sama probably doesn't want mention of being put in the official reports, so he was very tired when he arrived."

"I think I know the one you're referring to, Iruka-sensei. Even though the village leadership tries to hide its existence, I occasionally encounter an ANBU or an older jounin who's used it. I've seen enough of its nasty aftereffects that I won't ever be tempted to use it myself, although I understand the justifications for its use and development. I just don't think they studied it well enough before they taught it back in the Wars. The exhaustion is only one side effect. It also suspends the body's other responses as well as suppressing normal chemical and hormonal reactions for the duration of its use. It puts too many stresses on the body to be used safely." She pursed her lips in disapproval.

"I don't think they ever spread the word about the other drawbacks. They were probably too concerned about reminding people about it or having new people learn it that they didn't make any announcement about the other dangers. But as long as he wasn't poisoned or the wounds infected he should be fine, Iruka-sensei." His former student patted his back in a comforting manner.

Iruka, however, was not reassured. He blanched, the sickly pallor contrasting with his usual healthy golden glow. "Sakura-chan? There may be a problem. Maybe you should run some tests on these." Iruka pulled a handful of battered senbon from the weapons pouch by his side. "Kakashi kept the senbon that hit him. Raidou thinks the shoulder is infected, and he **was **behaving very erratically this evening. There didn't seem to be any signs of poison, although he was taking antidotes for the most common agents used in Grass. But then again, there weren't any signs of infection last night, either."

"I'll take them to the lab and make sure they know it's a priority, but I'm sure the results will come back fine. Senbon specialists are usually very obsessive about their weapons, and the wounds are so small that it's not likely for them to cause a serious infection, anyway." Sakura was picking up the soothing attitudes and mannerisms of her new teachers quite rapidly.

"I know all about the, ahh, peculiarities senbon specialists possess." Iruka smiled as memories of a much younger Genma intruded. He could almost smell the scent of cloves that had clung so stubbornly to Genma when he wasn't on a mission. Mineral oil laced with small amounts of clove oil had long been used to clean weapons, and Genma had concocted a blend with a higher concentration that served to sterilize the needles, as well. "Anyway, he seemed fine last night, other than being fatigued. Well, he did keep going on about the closet door being open, but I though that he was just babbling because he was so exhausted, and, well, shifting his mind out of mission mode, and all. He was tired, but he couldn't quite get back to sleep on his own. I had to umm... well, errr that is..."Iruka turned a very bright shade of red. "I sort of helped him back to sleep."

"What sort of medication did you... oh. ohhhhh..."Sakura became quite pink herself when his meaning finally occurred to her. "I suppose that was a good idea, no telling what effect a more errr traditional method would have had. What else happened?"

"I let him sleep until Genma and Raidou came over for dinner tonight. He was still very tired, but nothing else appeared to be wrong. I asked Raidou to take a look at his injuries, to make sure I hadn't missed anything. He got upset and refused to go to the doctor when Raidou suggested that the shoulder was probably infected, and then he almost passed out. We teleported him here and then he started struggling. You know what happened afterwards." He gestured towards the destruction in the lobby.

"Thank you for the information. Shizune-san should be done with Raidou-san by now. I'll take you there and then drop these off at the lab." The young medic patted the dusty weapons pouch. They left the room and turned down a main corridor, meeting Shizune and Raidou along the way. Only a band-aid, a mussed appearance, and a slight tightness around his eyes and jaw gave any sign of Raidou's part in the night's struggle.

"Ah, Sakura-chan, thank you for getting Iruka-sensei. If you've got enough information to start the incident report, I'll take these two before they sneak off to try to find their husbands themselves. You won't get in to see him without the Hokage's permission, Iruka, so just hold tight for a bit." Predictably, Raidou scowled and Iruka blushed slightly, proving there might have just a grain or two of truth behind the light-hearted teasing.

Sakura nodded and continued on towards the lab as Shizune steered the other two towards the non-critical ward on the second floor. Even before they reached the room, they knew the occupant and his condition. Shizune opened the door on a very grumpy Genma and a viciously grinning Tsunade. "Raidou, Iruka, I was just telling Genma that he'll be fine enough to be released tomorrow if he stays put and rests tonight. Other than a bit of a headache for a day or so, there shouldn't be any problems. Luckily I got to him immediately, before and real damage occurred. Guess that thick skull of yours is good for something." He grimaced as she reached down and ruffled his uncovered hair.

"Hmmmph… She threatened to block certain key chakra points if I didn't 'behave like a good boy, for once.'" Heavy sarcasm colored the words.

"I know that technique, too, Genma. Listen to her, or you'll find yourself a eunuch for a week until the jutsu wears off. I'll tie you to the bed until you're better if I have to." Raidou's voice had that shaky little growl to it that told Genma how worried he was and that he meant business.

He couldn't resist that voice, but he was still Genma. "Ooooh, bondage… you promise? I **love **when you get kinky, babe."

"He's fine, alright…." Raidou sighed. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I'll make sure he rests and doesn't give you any problems this time." Raidou leaned forward and whispered something in Genma's ear.

Genma scowled but nodded. "I'll expect a 'physical examination' and sponge bath every day for a week if you want my cooperation."

Tsunade laughed appreciatively. "I'll send a big box of rubber gloves home with you if you do, Genma." Raidou blushed and dropped his head at his husband's antics and his leader's offer.

"Behave and I'll throw in a catheter. He really likes urethral play, Rai-san," Shizune added. This time Genma was left blushing as his former lover teased.

Iruka noticed Genma didn't refuse the offer, though, and his own mental gears kicked into overdrive. He began wondering if he could adapt any of this for use in overcoming his own husband's apparent issues with doctors.

"I'll give you a few minutes with these two, Iruka, before I take you to Kakashi. Try not to let them pervert you too much." Iruka fought off his own blush as Genma grabbed his crotch right in plain sight of the Hokage.

"We won't do anything we haven't already done thousands of times before, Obaa-san," Genma smirked.

"As long as Iruka's on top. I told you to rest. If you'll excuse us for a few moments, I'll let you have some privacy." The healers left the room to the sounds of sputtering and snickering.

As the laughter died away, Iruka raised slightly troubled eyes to those of his friends. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize his injuries were serious. I never meant to put either of you in danger."

"We're shinobi, Ru-chan. There's always danger. Any of us could go at any time from something far more stupid and with nothing to do with our jobs." Genma always got straight to the heart of the matter.

"We accept these dangers freely, they're part of our life, so no need to apologize. We all know things happen, sometimes. And we're all fine more or less, so no use worrying about it, anyway." Raidou offered his customary good sense.

Genma spoke with all his years of experience behind him. "I should be apologizing to you. I knew he'd gotten sick in the bathroom. I should have said something sooner, but I thought it was the side effects of the antidotes. Hell, I should have asked to look at the senbon wounds myself, earlier, and the senbon, too. I know more than either of you what all can go wrong with them."

"You're no more to blame than me, Genma. I should have been paying better attention, especially once I heard that he used that stupid jutsu. Something always seems to go wrong with it. If I'd looked at him right away, maybe I could have caught this before he went all irrational and paranoid. Then you wouldn't have been hurt and Kakashi would be in better shape." As usual, Raidou insisted on taking more than his fair share of responsibility.

"Actually, it's my fault. I never should have thought I could take care of this myself. I should have insisted he see a medic last night, or at the least taken him in this morning." Iruka's voice showed the deep burden he was carrying.

"Can I join in, or is this a private pity party?" None of them had heard the door slide open or the quiet footfalls entering the room. "Does Kakashi bear no guilt in this? Then again, I could feel guilty for accepting the mission on behalf of the village, even though you know how desperately we need the funds. Or I could feel guilty for assigning it to the brat, although he was the best suited for the job. I could even feel guilty for not instituting a policy where all missions are turned in upon completion and include a mandatory physical exam as part of the debriefing." Tsunade paused, pinning each of them with that seemingly all-seeing amber gaze.

"You all know that would strain our manpower and unduly burden everyone, not to mention it still probably wouldn't catch something like this. No one of us can bear the blame for this. This was all an unfortunate chain of events, which unluckily Kakashi was caught in. None of you had all the facts, so it's no wonder you didn't catch it. I can't even blame Kakashi for not noticing. Everything could be easily explained away as something else, and by the time he couldn't explain it away anymore, he was too sick to be able to notice. You two just get some rest. I'll leave word with the nurses station not to disturb you."

"Go on ahead Iruka, we're fine. You should be with Kakashi, now. If you need anything send word and we'll be right there." Raidou placed a strong hand on Iruka's shoulder in an abbreviated hug.

Iruka nodded and followed Tsunade from the ward.

"We're waiting on lab results. Luckily Kakashi kept the senbon and you brought them with you. That will make our job easier. I know you're focusing on what went wrong, but remember what all of you did right, too, Iruka. You and Raidou took care of him just as well as any healer we have here, and you did it right, too, Iruka. You also did it without any of the stress involved with doctors or hospitals. Kakashi would have fought you over going to the hospital last night. He hasn't had very good experiences at all over the years, so I don't make much of an issue over things with him as long as he gets them taken care of.

"Think about the only times you've seen him in the hospital, recently, Iruka. Chakra depletion and Itachi's genjutsu. That's it. No serious injuries, no sicknesses. Security issues were only partially the reason I let him stay when you found him at the Hatake estate. Each of the other times, he was brought in unconscious. That was the only way he'd come in without a fight, if he was too weak or otherwise unable. Otherwise, he'd do more injury fighting to stay out than was already done to him, most likely. We take care of him until he's out of danger and make him rest up enough to heal and then we let him go. Anyone else would be here a full week or more longer than he stays, but it's no use fighting the issue with him. He gets so upset being here that it does more harm than good, unless it's really serious.

"Minato used to bribe him just to get him to see a medic when he was injured. You know how he was, back then. He'd do almost anything with the promise of learning a new technique or jutsu. Even after he lost his eye, he tried to leave after they looked him over and patched him up. Sandaime had to give him a direct order to stay before he quit trying to escape. They finally released him early into Minato's care. I went twice a day to check on him. It was amazing how much quicker he recovered once he left the hospital. Luckily, he's good enough he doesn't get injured enough to need to go to the hospital often. Either that or he's learned a few medical jutsus we don't know about. Hospitals are for healing, but he can't heal when all he's thinking about is how he's going to get out sooner."

"You do know what you're going to see when we get there, right, Iruka? A situation like this is treated differently than a break, but it's SOP for his safety and everyone else's. He's still under the effects of the senbon, but Genma was flying across the room as he threw them, so we don't know just how effective they were. He's going to be restrained and drugged and an ANBU guard will be outside the room. It's just so he doesn't accidentally hurt himself or anyone else."

Iruka's dark gaze met hers. "He already did. Genma and Raidou could have been killed because I thought I knew what I was doing."

"Iruka. Stop with the what ifs and the second guessing… now. Maybe it could have happened... but it didn't. They're fine. Kakashi's fine. We'll get the tests back on the senbon and start the proper course of treatment and he'll be back to normal in no time. Once he's healing and everything's under control, we'll release him to you and he can go home." Tsunade nodded at the rat-masked ANBU as they approached.

Iruka was preparing himself for the sight of a restrained Kakashi when they heard annoyed shouting, followed by a body crashing through the door in front of them. They rushed into the room, looking about. "Kakashi!" Iruka stepped forward but Tsunade pulled him back.

Kakashi was backed into a corner of the room, clinging to the wall near the ceiling, breathing heavily and trembling with exertion

Iruka shrugged off the Hokage's restraining arm and took another two steps forward. "Kashi-love." He stood quiet and still, waiting for the wary shinobi to relax even slightly. "It's ok, Kakashi. You can come down, now. They won't hurt you. The medic's gone." Iruka signaled the ANBU to stay back near the door. It hurt to see Kakashi so vulnerable in the corner, tucked up against the ceiling, thin and wispy, like a cobweb.

Kakashi slowly crawled down the wall, the strain on his chakra evident with every movement, but he continued watching everyone in the room.

Iruka caught Tsunade's eyes, silently willing her to understand what he was about to do. He moved forward slowly but deliberately, so as not to startle his husband. "Come to me, Kakashi, I won't let them hurt you." Iruka hastened forward to catch Kakashi before he crashed to the floor as his chakra finally gave out on him. He turned slowly, holding the older, barely conscious man facing him, again staring determinedly into his leader's amber eyes and holding out one hand.

Tsunade must have studied her teammate's student and her predecessor more than anyone even knew, for in a flash of swaying golden hair, she had placed an object in the academy instructor's outstretched palm and returned to her previous place. Before her hair even settled, the chuunin whispered "Forgive me, love," and Kakashi slumped even more heavily against Iruka as he plunged the hypodermic needle into the center of his lover's unsuspecting back.


	10. Chapter 10

Iruka dropped to his knees, cradling Kakashi gently against him, and then sat back on his heels with the jounin facedown acros

**Rating**: PG-13, for drumroll... TSUNADE! :) and a little bit of profanity…  
**Pairing**: Kakashi/Iruka Iruka/Kakashi I like my boys to switch xD same with Raidou and Genma  
**Status**: WIP, but hope to finish soon... yes, I know you've heard that from me before, lol.  
**Summary**: Kakashi returns from a mission; Iruka patches him up and fluffiness ensues. Kinda…  
**Genre**: WAFF, fairly mild angst (it always slips in there if I'm writing Kakashi, doesn't it?) HC  
**Warnings**: biseinen ai, yaoi, coarse language and provocative conversation, medical imagery  
**Disclaimer**: I asked Kishimoto-san for several shinobi for my birthday… I kinda conveniently forgot to put them back when I was done… So technically they aren't mine, but I think they have a lot more fun with me…  
**Author's Notes: **Thank you to Hatochan, for more than you'll hopefully ever know. You're the reason I started writing again and the reason I continue, despite my doubts and all the little bumps in the road… this is part of Hatochan's Tolerant Intolerant universe and occurs just before Hato's Playing Doctor, but works better if you read it after hers. This and Playing Doctor occur about 3 - 3 ½ months after the wedding from her Along the Way: Ch.10 – Prancing. They are married and living together in a house, so the old apartments are now gone... Hatochan's Playing Doctor is fairly explicit, guys. DO NOT read if you're not legal... or if you can't handle some yummy kinkiness... ;) it's on the KakaIru LiveJournal and Oh, and the nasty doctor character? His name means 'withering winter wind' I never remember to post things like that in my notes, usually.

Iruka dropped to his knees, cradling Kakashi gently against him, and then sat back on his heels with the jounin facedown across his lap, petting him softly and whispering words of apology.

"Usagi-san, first I need you to find Shizune and bring her here, and then send in that damned fool medic so I can figure out what went wrong."

Tsunade knelt beside Kakashi and checked his pulse and breathing before opening an eye and peering at it closely. "Very effective, Iruka. Normally I would have recommended the back of the neck, but in this case it probably would have been ill-advised." The healer waited a moment, picking her words carefully. "You feel like you betrayed him, don't you?"

Iruka looked up, surprised, but answered honestly. "Didn't I? He trusted me."

"Let's get him off the floor and into the bed, Iruka, then we'll talk." Tsunade folded the rail down on the hospital bed.

Iruka shifted the jounin from his lap into his arms and stood carefully.

"Prone, so I can get a good look at his back and shoulder, please." Tsunade pulled a lamp closer as Iruka placed Kakashi face down on the bed, carefully turning his head to one side. "Don't give in to it, Iruka. If there is one lesson I've learned over the years and can pass on to you, it's 'don't let guilt or regret overwhelm you.' I know you think I couldn't possibly know what you're feeling, and you're right, I don't know every nuance you're feeling this moment, but I know enough to know that right now what you did feels wrong to you. But what would have happened if you hadn't done anything? What if he got loose and injured innocent civilians or collapsed alone somewhere?" She talked as she examined the puffy, red, oozing punctures.

She paused to let her words sink in. "You did the right thing, Iruka. Despite personal feelings, you did what you had to, to protect him and everyone else, and you did it with a minimum of damage or injury. You see it as a betrayal of Kakashi's trust, but if you hadn't acted, it would have been a greater betrayal, a betrayal of everything you've been taught, of your ninja way, of everything you and Kakashi hold most sacred. It takes a good deal more strength and leadership to put everything else aside and make a difficult decision like that quickly under pressure. Use some of that good sense you use with everyone else every day and forgive yourself. You'd tell the same thing to anyone else. Take the advice yourself. You don't resent Genma or Raidou for what they did. Stop blaming yourself for doing what you had to do."

Tsunade reached for a series of objects on the table next to the bed and handed a clear plastic bag of fluid to Iruka. "Hang this from the pole, please. Maybe one of these days when he comes in he won't be dehydrated…" She deftly bandaged the punctures before inserting the needle and setting up the IV, adding a dose of a general antibiotic to start fighting the infection.

Iruka had quietly watched everything that was done to the sleeping man and finally sat down beside the bed, staring at the blue walls. He couldn't remember any of the other walls in the hospital being anything other than standard white, sickly yellow, or drab green. "I'm fine, Tsunade-sama. I know I had to do it and I'd do it again, but I don't feel good about it. Please don't ask me to. I know my duty, and I will always do it, but I won't always enjoy it. I do feel like I betrayed his trust. He was scared and confused and I played on that. I told him I wouldn't let anyone hurt him and then **I** attacked him from behind. He trusted me. I hope he still does. Whether it was right or wrong, I'm the one who has to live with what I did. I'll come to terms with it, but what happens if one of these days he doesn't trust me when I need him to?"

She noted the rigid set of Kakashi's shoulder despite the fact that he was asleep and she was no longer touching the area and added a small but potent dose of painkiller to the IV. "He'll always trust you, Iruka, until the day he dies. I'm sorry you had to do this and make this choice. I've made more than my share of decisions that I questioned for years afterwards. I still question a few to this day. The important thing is to learn from each choice, right or wrong. Don't make the same mistake twice, but don't let fear of being wrong keep you from making a decision or cloud your judgment. Now, if I'm not mistaken, we should figure out exactly what got Kakashi riled up so badly in just a minute or two."

As if on cue, three knocks sounded on the door. Tsunade twitched the sheet up, settling it in place over the unmasked face. "Come." Iruka rose to leave, but a hand to the shoulder and the murmured, "Stay. You have the right to be here," held him in place.

The young man who entered had pale blond hair and light blue eyes and very obviously believed in the religious use of sunblock or spent very little time in the sun. He bore a faint resemblance to the jounin on the bed, but after closer observance, Iruka realized it was only superficial. The healer had an icy demeanor that many an Uchiha would have coveted and could most probably give any Hyuuga lessons in haughty arrogance. The more he studied the similarities, he realized the difference that had bothered him from almost the moment the man entered the room. Those chilly blue eyes held none of the calm empathy Iruka most associated with medic-nins. He seemed devoid of any warmth or passion whatsoever.

"Kogarashi-san."

"Hokage-sama." The man dipped his head in the barest nod courtesy and protocol allowed. A frosty gaze flicked towards the bed. "The patient is unbound and the ANBU guard is not present. I must protest, Hogame-sama. Do you really think this is wise?"

Tsunade arched an eyebrow at the question. "I think I know what I can expect, Kogarashi-san. Did you?"

"Hokage-sama?" Only the barest inflection made the utterance a query.

"Did you even bother reading Hatake-san's file?" Iruka could see just how little patience Tsunade had for ineptitude in the workplace.

"I glanced…"

Tsunade broke in. "I know you only glanced. If you'd read, you'd have known better and I'd see your signature stating you read the instructions." She tossed a wildly patterned folder to the table between Iruka and the other doctor. "Don't you even remember the simplest procedures for dealing with injured ANBU or jounin? I bet you barged in here with your chakra cloaked like it is now. That's just asking for disaster. Did you even see the tag on his file? Walking in on this brat like that without reading his file is like trying to walk through a minefield backwards and blindfolded. So, what did you try first? Binding his chakra or restraining and sedating him?"

The sullen silence was palpable.

Tsunade took a deep breath, her most perceivable assets heaving visibly. "I bet Usagi-san tried to warn you, too, and you ignored him. High level shinobi hone their paranoia and use it to their advantage as much as any of their physical senses. Hatake attacked two other shinobi tonight he's known and worked with for years. He probably thought you were an enemy trying to torture him for information or twisted sadistic glee or just for who he is. The seriousness of his condition is probably the only reason you're still alive and we didn't have a major disaster here tonight. Don't you realize just how much latent power a shinobi of his caliber has? You almost let him run amok, delirious and confused, not to mention this little stunt of yours may have exacerbated his injuries. If we weren't already short-staffed and over-worked from the flu outbreak, you'd already be on restriction. Would you like to explain exactly what was going through your head through all of this?"

Hokage or not, the tone that answered was chillier and more bitter than the weather outside. "I glanced through the file, but stopped when I got to the warnings. I don't have time to read the drivel others put in to cover their own laziness and ineptitude. I've seen Kakashi twice over the past two years. There's nothing to warrant any fuss from my observations. He's not as strong a shinobi as everyone makes him out to be and he never caused a fuss while he was here. It's all a screen to hide the fact that some medic-nin forgot to take proper precautions and everything else had just been added on as hearsay and gossip. No shinobi active today could be even half as powerful as that piece of drivel claims." Disdain dripped from his voice as he indicated the medical report.

Despite the height differential, Tsunade loomed over him. "See here, you little piss-ant. Listen carefully. I'll go slowly so you don't strain your limited mental capacity, which seems to be matched only by your lack of compassion. The only thing you seem to have in abundance is an over-inflated sense of your own self-worth." Tsunade's own chakra flared incandescently for a split second, far brighter than it ever would outside battle or a warded healing room, and Kakashi reacted to it, even in sleep. "This is a **fraction **of my strength. Believe me when I tell you Kakashi isn't far behind me in raw power or ability. Both times you encountered Hatake he was so weak he could barely move; after critically exhausting his chakra reserves, and after being exposed to Uchiha Itachi's genjutsu. A weaker shinobi could have died in either situation."

"As for that 'piece of drivel,' **I** wrote it. I saved the brat's life even before he was born and was there at his birth. I babysat and changed his diapers more than a time or two, as well. I was with him when he went on his first mission, even before he became a genin. Do you doubt **my** judgment? If you'd taken the time to read, you'd notice they aren't warnings, they're orders, and that's why you were supposed to sign and date that you read them. As of now, you're on administrative leave, short-handed or not. I'd rather double-up shifts than endanger my shinobi, my patients, and my village having you on staff. Consider yourself confined to quarters until assigned to re-training. Maybe a little tour on border patrol will give you the required attitude adjustment. Go, before I have time to regret my leniency for your negligence." Tsunade waved him from the room and Iruka had to smother an involuntary giggle when the soon-to-be ex-healer almost slammed the door on his exit.

Iruka took a closer look at the wildly patterned file folder as he tried to regain his composure. It closely resembled a heraldic coat of arms. Two quarters were a vibrant blue, one an almost fluorescent orange, and the remaining a vivid yellow. The Konoha leaf spiral was printed on the center in black and a wide strip of diagonal black and red stripes adorned the top edge of the record.

Tsunade noticed the chuunin's distracted frown. "Iruka?"

"Hmm? Oh! I'm sorry, it's just very, ah, colorful, isn't it?" Iruka gestured to the file.

"Hehe, I suppose it is. I'm sure Ibiki would **love** our filing system. Blue indicates jounin or ANBU level, chuunin is green, genin brown, pre-genin gray, and civilians the normal manilla color. The yellow indicates level two or higher security clearance is needed in all but situations immediately threatening life, limb, or senses. Orange indicates only senior medic-nin are allowed to treat him without direct supervision. That's partly due to certain irregularities arising from the sharingan, but also because as much as we try to train our staff, we can't afford any mistakes with Kakashi. He's just too valuable to the village."

"Hmm." Iruka nodded agreement for the practicality of the system. "The stripes at the top?"

"Oh." Tsunade smiled sheepishly. "That's the warning tag for other healers. There are only four of these currently in the village. All jounin level. Two are poison specialists at risk for drug interactions from poisons and antidotes, so they have a set of instructions tailored to their specific situation."

"Shizune and Genma?" Iruka guessed.

"Genma? Ibiki, actually. What's the kid up to now that I've missed?"

"Errr, well a discussion earlier tonight. He said he'd help Kakashi tinker with the standard antidote formulas."

"I should have known. I'll have Shizune talk with him before he leaves so we know what he uses and can put a notation on his record, too. She can compare notes with him, too. He's probably come up with some new things, too. That's good, though. Poison specialists are in short supply."

"Tsunade-sama? You might want to consider giving Raidou a copy of Genma's information, too."

"Let me guess, Genma doesn't go to the doctor unless Raidou makes him, and Raidou ends up taking care of things most of the time." The tone was exasperated, but Iruka swore he actually saw an amused twinkle in those amber eyes.

"Isn't that why they started the system, Tsunade-sama, because there was a shortage of full healers? " Tsunade must have noticed the slight twist of his lips that usually preceded teasing from the chuunin, because she responded in kind.

"You're spending too much time around the brat, Iruka. Didn't you know jounin are a bad influence? Chuunin teasing the Hokage, what's next?" She sighed dramatically, before they both shared a quick smile. "You have given me an idea, though. Lots of what we see here at the hospital is minor. Necessary, but minor. Training injuries and sicknesses all jumbled together, waiting for a doctor, and as this flu outbreak has shown, no matter how careful we are, something like this will spread. What if we made everything official? You and Genma and Kakashi already see Raidou for minor things that don't require the services of a full healer. I'm sure other people do the same thing. We are understaffed at the hospital. I realize they were originally trained for field-expedient first aid, but basic injury-care is almost the same. We assign each shinobi to a trained field medic, and if they aren't out on a mission, the shinobi has the option to have minor injuries taken care of without coming to the hospital. It would make things easier on the few like Kakashi who really can't stand doctors, ease our staffing problems, and keep us from unnecessarily exposing our injured ninja to sickness."

Iruka nodded. "I think it would work, and it might even convince some of your more reluctant patients to get things taken care of properly. There's a difference between going in to the hospital to have a possibly sprained ankle taken care of and letting a friend take a look and patch you up. Probably all you'd need to change in the training would be teaching them how to distinguish what really does need a medic-nin's care and what they can treat, themselves. We're all trained to some degree in first aid, but sometimes it's hard to know what we can safely take care of ourselves. Maybe this will help prevent some of the more serious re-injuries, too."

Tsunade nodded, obviously deep in thought, but not so far lost that she didn't see the benefit of the distraction for Iruka. "You're very good with this sort of planning, Iruka. Would you mind helping Shizune out a bit with this while Kakashi is here? Even if it isn't serious, he still needs to be monitored for a few days. Raidou was right, this is obviously some sort of infection, and anything that can spread that quickly needs to be watched carefully until we're sure it's completely gone. I already put you on leave and arranged for someone to take over your classes, Monday morning."

Iruka smiled ruefully. "If it's Shikamaru again, please tell him to stick to the lesson plan this time. I realize shougi is a game of strategy and has applications in tactical planning, but the first years don't have the patience for a tournament. He'll have to suffer through Monday morning's Shinobi History lesson right along with them. Maybe if he's teaching it this time, he'll stay awake and learn something, himself."

Tsunade chuckled, knowing things would have turned out just as Iruka had said. "I'll remind him, Iruka-sensei, and tell him that cloud-watching is off limits as well."

Iruka gave a fleeting smile that didn't quite manage to reach his eyes. "Tsunade-sama? The warning tag, how long has Kakashi had that?" Iruka asked the question very quietly.

"Officially since I came back. Unofficially, he's been the terror of the hospital since I can remember. And that includes when Kyoko was pregnant. After the initial scare at the beginning, things went wonderfully…until about three weeks before the birth. There were a few small complications and I brought her in to the hospital, just so we could monitor her, make sure she got enough rest, and in case anything happened. Even unborn, though, Kakashi was sensitive to the chakra around him, and after about a week the distress was getting to her, not to mention the strain of dealing with Sakumo while she was there."

The blonde smiled sadly. "He hated hospitals. He and Jiraiya both. I suppose being hospitalized was an affront to their manliness or something equally idiotic. They would just muddle through in some stupid show of machismo until they couldn't stand it any longer, then get patched up just enough to go right back out again. But one of them was there with her constantly, that week. She finally pleaded with me to send her home, and I did. Things settled down dramatically, once she was away from everyone. But Kakashi was still very sensitive to others' chakra for a few months afterwards. I was afraid of complications, though, so I made her come to the hospital for the birth. Kakashi reacted so badly to the excess chakra flow around him that Kyoko was in agony. We had to move her to a small, quiet back room of the hospital. It used to be an office, actually. You could tell by the window, and the walls. They were such a beautiful, calming shade of blue…"

Iruka sat quietly, soaking up all the little glimpses into Kakashi's past.

"Things weren't quite as bad when he was young. Kyoko and Minato made sure he was taken care of, although there were some dreadful fights a few times when he refused. He was usually so quiet and reserved, like a little old man, sometimes, although he had the most endearingly childlike sense of wonder for the small things. The look on his face as he brought a dragonfly to his mother as she sat in the garden or solemnly held up a lost, half-drowned kitten to Sakumo would bring tears to your eyes for the very beauty of it." Tsunade paused, eyes suspiciously bright, before clearing her throat and continuing.

"It started out slowly, with him refusing to get a small injury taken care of. He could be a holy terror when he got stubborn. Maybe he watched Sakumo and Jiraiya, maybe somehow he could remember, or maybe it was just some inate distrust. Kyoko and Minato would bribe or bully him into having his injuries treated. After Kyoko and then Sakumo died, there were a few difficult incidents, but after Minato died, it was near impossible to do anything more for him than bandage his wounds and keep an eye out for him until he was well enough to leave. He came back from a mission once while he was in ANBU and wouldn't let anyone but Rin near him. Went into a frenzy anytime he felt a hint of anyone else's chakra. The whole hospital was in an uproar. Luckily Jiraiya was passing through and told her about the room. From that time on, it was his. He wasn't here much, even when in ANBU, but when he had to be, it was here for him, this little small room tucked in a back corner, away from everything else."

"When I came back, I found out he'd managed to evade the semi-annual physical and mental evaluations for more than eight years. I made a deal with him after the little incident last winter, with your little jutsu gone awry." Iruka swallowed quickly, fighting back a blush. "Now he has quarterly visits with either Shizune or myself, and we will sign his exams ourselves. After the most recent incident, since you and Genma got back from your mission, I added quarterly evaluations with Ibiki as well. If he refuses either, he immediately goes off active status as a shinobi until reinstated. To be honest, I doubt Ibiki is any more stable than Kakashi, but they both function at an extremely high level, despite everything that's occurred to either of them, and it keeps the Council off our backs. Things are better now, but it's always best to play it safe with them."

"Thank you for sharing, Hokage-sama." Iruka bowed deeply. "I'm glad Kakashi had people who cared enough to do something for him."

Tsunade bowed back, even more deeply. "Thank you for sharing yourself with him, Iruka. You're what he needs, and I'm glad you care enough to have stayed with him through everything,"

Iruka blushed brightly, embarrassed at the attention, and Tsunade decided to diffuse the situation with a touch of humor. "Only one other person is generally placed in this room, beside Kakashi."

Iruka looked up, intrigued.

"Someone that would turn this entire hospital upside down if he were injured and brought within these walls."

"Who?" Iruka couldn't not ask.

"Jiraiya. I told you before, he hates hospitals almost as much as Kakashi, but I hate what he does to my nursing staff even more. His tag states no nurse or healer under the age of 40. I put him back here under guard to keep him from molesting or peeking at the doctors, patients and nurses." Tsunade smiled so much her eyes disappeared into little crescents, much like Kakashi had a habit of doing, and Iruka laughed so hard he was afraid he might hurt something.

When he finally caught his breath, it was to hear Tsunade's "Enter." He'd never even heard the knock at the door.

"Hokage-sama." The rabbit-masked ANBU entered, bowing. "Shizune-san asked me to inform you that she is repeating some of the tests, herself, due to an error. She says the results should be back within the next hour, but not to sedate Hatake-san or give any type of antibiotic or painkiller until after she finishes with the new tests. I hear her muttering and swearing something about 'that damned jutsu' as I left."

One succinct utterance simultaneously fell from two sets of lips.

"Shit…"


	11. Chapter 11

**Rating**:PG-13  
**Pairing**: Kakashi/Iruka Iruka/Kakashi I like my boys to switch xD same with Raidou and Genma  
**Status**: WIP, but hope to finish soon... yes, I know you've heard that from me before, lol.  
**Summary**: Kakashi returns from a mission; Iruka patches him up and fluffiness ensues. Kinda…  
**Genre**: WAFF, fairly mild angst (it always slips in there if I'm writing Kakashi, doesn't it?) HC  
**Warnings**: biseinen ai, yaoi, coarse language and provocative conversation, medical imagery, cross-dressing  
**Disclaimer**: I asked Kishimoto-san for several shinobi for my birthday… I kinda conveniently forgot to put them back when I was done… So technically they aren't mine, but I think they have a lot more fun with me…

**Author's Notes: **Thank you to Hatochan, for more than you know. You're the reason I started writing again and the reason I continue, despite my doubts and all the little bumps in the road… this is part of Hatochan's Tolerant Intolerant universe and occurs just before Hato's Playing Doctor, but works better if you read it after hers. This and Playing Doctor occur about 3 - 3 ½ months after the wedding from her Along the Way: Ch.10 – Prancing. They are married and living together in a house, so the old apartments are now gone... Hatochan's Playing Doctor is fairly explicit, guys. DO NOT read if you're not legal... or if you can't handle some yummy kinkiness... ;) it's on the KakaIru LiveJournal and Adullt Fanfiction Net

* * *

Shizune examined the test. _Damn. The results are off again. But they can't be, not twice, and I performed them myself, this time. The only thing I can do is try one more time, and examine the senbon. Maybe there's a clue, there._

She placed a new set of gloves on her hands and retrieved one of the long, slender needles. The normally shiny surface looked dull, and she could see an odd twist at one end. The other weapons all bore similar oddities.

She considered fetching the senbon specialist from ANBU HQ, then realized she had someone even better right here in the hospital. Now, to figure out a way to smuggle him into the lab…

* * *

"No, you're supposed to be resting, Genma."

"But Rai, I can go to sleep easier if we cuddle a little first. Tsunade said she'd make sure the nurses didn't interrupt. The bed's big enough… Take a nap with me, or at least stay with me till I fall asleep. You look a little tired, yourself, and you know what you'll feel like in the morning if you sleep all night in that chair. Come on, it isn't like this is a mission. You can choose the more comfortable option without compromising anything, babe."

Raidou paused a moment. _He's only here for observation. Tsunade treated him, so it isn't like there is any chance of anything still being wrong. It won't hurt, this one time. Maybe Gen will behave if I give in_. "Oh alright, scoot over…"

Genma did scoot, and Raidou settled himself carefully next to his husband. "You know I wouldn't have agreed if Tsunade hadn't promised about the nurses, right?"

"You heard her, Rai, whatever else you can say about her, she keeps her promises."

Raidou curled protectively against Genma. "I was worried. Don't go pulling any tricks like that again any time soon, okay?"

"Speak for yourself, love. When I saw that chidori headed towards your head…"

"Shhh, it's okay, now. We're fine and Kakashi will be, too, soon."

Genma nodded quietly, hands reaching around the big man, drawing him closer. Lips met and parted in a long, lazy series of kisses. Raidou hissed as a cold, calloused hand slipped beneath his waistband. "Can't fuck you through the mattress, tonight, but that doesn't mean I can't have a **little** fun, babe." Deft fingers undid the button fly and yanked the uniform pants halfway down Raidou's thighs.

"Gen…" Raidou groaned. "Please…"

Genma never did learn whether Raidou was begging him to stop or continue, because at that moment two knocks on the door barely preceded Shizune. "Genma?" Raidou jerked his pants up quickly. She broke off as she saw the other man.

"He made me do it!" Raidou squeaked out in a guilty voice, much higher than his normal bass rumble.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I just, oh… damnit, I'll come back in a minute, when you're umm presentable..." She took a lingering, considering glance at the two men as she left.

"The look on your face when she walked in, Rai…" Raidou scowled as Genma doubled over with laughter.

"She might have told the nurses to stay out, but apparently Shizune doesn't count. That's it, you're not getting me back in this bed." Raidou swatted Genma on the shoulder.

"Awww, but Rai…"

"No."

The discussion came to a close as Shizune knocked again. "Everyone decent this time?"

Raidou threw her a glare, too. No use wasting them all on Genma; he was oblivious.

Shizune bowed slightly. "I'm truly sorry, Raidou. I didn't mean to interrupt." Raidou flushed slightly at the implication. "That is, I mean, oh hell. I'm making things worse. I'm sorry. I came to ask something, actually. Genma, I know you're supposed to be resting, but I found something when I was examining those senbon that hit Kakashi, and I'd really appreciate your input if you'd care to come to the lab and take a look."

"Sure, I'll take a look if you want, but what can I help you with? You're the one with lab experience."

"I don't know. The senbon just don't look right, but I can't put my finger on exactly what's wrong. I know I could have asked the current ANBU specialist, but I trust your experience more. I apologize for disturbing you, but I can't help thinking something is off, and maybe it would help explain what happened."

"One question. How are you going to get me in the lab?"

"Don't worry, Genma, I've got it all taken care of…"

Raidou lay back in the bed, wondering how he always got talked into these situations by Genma. It reminded him of the times Genma had convinced him to cover for his all night brothel hopping when he was unable to convince the older teen to join him when they were younger. He had the same feeling of dread this time, the certain knowledge that **something** was going to go wrong. What bothered him hadn't been his own capitulation, though, that was an almost foregone conclusion these days. The real surprise had been that it was Shizune's idea. He really supposed he should re-evaluate his opinion of the kunoichi, afterall if she'd stayed around Tsunade all these years and could bend that strong-willed woman to her will, there had to be even more to her than Raidou had realized. He sighed. He just knew this was going to end badly.

* * *

Don't pick and pull, Genma, you'll make a hole. And take a shorter stride. You can't walk like that in those, you'll break an ankle. And don't bite your lip, or it will all come off."

"How can you get anything done in these? They're distracting." Genma tried taking a smaller stride, and somehow added a sway to his hips when he did. "You're sure I look alright?"

"You're fine, Genma. Your hair really looks nice like that, too. I can't believe you cover it all the time. It's really one of your better features."

"It goes all over the place if I don't cover it, remember? Are you sure the plum looks alright? Because I really liked the blue."

"I told you, you have to condition it or it's **going** to fly everywhere. And yes, the plum looks good on you, and it's just in the crease, not over the whole lid. Blue would clash with your eyes. You really do make a stunning woman, Gen. Not that I don't think you're a fine man, but it really is surprising how good you look in a dress. And those legs… wow. I mean, you have well-muscled legs, and they aren't at all girly or feminine-looking, but in those hose, they're just stunning."

"Still distracting. All silky and they move with me when I walk… And besides, you saw me in a dress at Kakashi and Iruka's rehearsal dinner, so it's not like this is a surprise, or anything."

"True, but that clingy, pink thing would've made almost anyone sexy, Genma. Looking like this in a plain, white nurse's dress is a little more difficult. I don't have a fetish for them, either, so I know that's not it."

"I suppose." Genma smirked. "Speaking of fetishes, did you see the look on Rai's face when I came out of the bathroom like this? Hmmm. Maybe we need to explore medplay a bit… or at least some nice roleplay…"

"I promise, Genma, if you help me figure out what's up with Kakashi, I'll make sure to get a nurse's dress and a medic-nin uniform for you and Raidou."

"How could I say no with an incentive like that?" Genma laughed.

Shizune unlocked the door to the lab, and they went in. Genma followed her into the empty lab. "Well, that went even easier than I expected."

"Yeah." Genma pulled a senbon from within the dress and stuck it in his mouth as soon as they were sure they were alone. "Although I almost wish we'd run into someone. I wanted to see their reaction."

"Genma… We weren't looking for a reaction, we wanted them to ignore you, remember? That's why you're running around the hospital in a nurse's uniform when you should be in bed, to blend in, not stand out."

"Oh yeah, I sorta forgot that part. It was fun, though. Why can't all my hospital visits turn out like this?"

Shizune muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like _Karma?_ and handed Genma a pair of latex gloves. It was so hard to tell when he was serious, sometimes. "The senbon are here, and there are extra gloves if you need them. I assume you still remember how to use everything from when you took the ANBU Poison Specialists training?" At his affirmative nod, she pointed to the counter beside him. "Equipment is to your right."

Genma examined the stack of metal objects. "Rubber tipped tweezers and magnifying glass?"

"Somewhere. I'll find them." She began rummaging in the drawers beneath the counters.

"What type of tests did you run?" Genma asked as he leaned in to get a closer look.

"Just standard swab tests so far, I figured we should start with less destructive tests first. Results have been inconclusive through three attempts, though. Nothing to account for any of the symptoms Kakashi is exhibiting. I'm almost wondering if he tweaked the jutsu and made a mistake, and now the infection has mutated into some super-germ."

Genma shook his head. "I doubt Kakashi made a mistake. Hmm, I see what you mean. They don't look right. These senbon have seen a lot of really heavy use. Any decent shinobi would've replaced his weapons with about a tenth the wear these show." Genma picked up one of the weapons with the tweezers and examined it carefully. "See how dull this is?"

He handed her the magnifying glass. Shizune noticed a series of fine lines and scratches over the finish of the metal. Genma handed the dull, twisted metal to Shizune.

"I bet if you look under the microscope, you'll see there's significant cracking and pitting at the tips, too."

She took the weapon and slid it into place. "You're right. Then how did he clean them properly?"

"First, the dullness shows it's a cheap, low-quality metal, but it also means he didn't take proper care of his equipment. I'm guessing he used acid from time to time when they got too rusty. See all the pitting about an inch away from the tip? He didn't clean them right away, so there was rust and blood on all of these, right about there. He didn't use just one tip as the throwing end, either. See how they're all warped and twisted at both tips? Senbon aren't impact weapons. They're for using with poison or immobilizing a chakra or pressure point, mainly for assassination and kidnapping, although they work well to slow down an opponent, too. You replace a senbon anytime it hits anything harder than a soft wood, because the tips get mangled and the balance is thrown off."

Genma pulled another senbon from behind his ear. "See how sharply defined the ends are, and how smooth and shiny the metal is? They should slip easily into the flesh. These others would have done some damage going in and coming out. And all those nooks and crannies and pits in the metal? There **is **no way to clean those properly. Senbon are easy weapons to take care of. Wipe them down as soon as possible after battle and then give them a quick dunk in disinfectant and poison neutralizer and rub down with clove oil and a polishing cloth when you get back to the village. Replace after impact or when there's any visible wear. That's it. This guy didn't even bother cleaning until the rust had already damaged the metal, and then used a shortcut with the acid. Low-level scum, but this goes to prove they can do more damage than well-trained shinobi, sometimes, just because they're unpredictable."

"So all those crevices trap poison residues, bacteria, dirt, rust, everything…" Shizune slumped to a stool and handed the thin needle back to Genma.

"Exactly, and a swab test probably wouldn't pick up on anything in sufficient quantities to show, because the contaminants aren't on the surface, but any wound would still be exposed to everything present in the crevices. I'm guessing multiple infections and residual poison damage. You probably want to check the status of his tetanus booster, too, from the amount of rust you can see. Probably localized poison damage in the immediate area of the wounds, along with whatever damage those points made going in and coming back out. Depending on how long ago the guy 'cleaned' these, there could be a reaction to unknown cleaning agents or other foreign matter. Does that pretty much sum up what you needed?"

"Yes. Damn, it's just never easy when Kakashi comes in, even when it's not his fault. I'm glad we know what we're facing, although I don't like the implications, especially since he used that jutsu. I'm afraid that will complicate things even more than we realized."

There was a knock at the door and Genma pulled the telltale senbon from his mouth. Shizune opened the door. "Usagi-san? Can I help you?"

The rabbit-masked shinobi turned to look at Genma, head tilted slightly. "Hokage-sama sent me to inquire how much longer before you have Hatake-san's test results." The voice echoed slightly behind the porcelain.

"Oh. Uh, we're taking care of that now. Please inform her there was an error with the tests, and I am repeating them myself. Results should be back within the hour. Tell her not to sedate Hatake-san or give him any other antibiotics until I finish with the new set of tests. Thank you." Shizune muttered something under her breath about 'mutant infections, headstrong jounin, and that damned jutsu' as the ANBU nodded and left.

Shizune released a deep breath and Genma twirled the senbon back into its proper place, ease of habit shifting it into a grooved spot between his teeth. "See? Nothing to worry about, Shizune."

"Genma. He's ANBU, you know he saw right through you. We are so busted." Shizune sighed.

"I know he saw through me, but he doesn't care. He was amused, and not a little curious. Couldn't you see?" Genma's head canted ever so lightly to the side, in unconscious imitation of the other shinobi.

"If you say so, Genma. I could never keep up with all the nuances of ANBU 'non-communication.' I'm sure you've had more than long enough to perfect your understanding of it."

Genma raised an eyebrow at her. "You could at least pretend you don't know, Shizune. I'd feel a lot better if you did. Even if I'm not ANBU anymore, I'm not comfortable talking about it like this."

"Fine, as long as our friend with the buck-toothed mask stays quiet I don't care." Shizune gathered all the supplies necessary for a new round of tests. "At least Tsunade can decide on medication options after just a few quick tests. I hate to delay the antibiotics, but there's a chance for interactions between some of the substances likely to be on the senbon and some of the most effective drugs."

"That's not good." Genma had always had a flair for understatement.

"If I had my choice, I'd have him pumped full of sedatives, painkillers, and antibiotics, as well as some more anti-toxins, but some medicines lessen the effectiveness of others or cause nasty side-effects when combined. The biggest threat right now seems to be the infection, though, so we'll find one of the strong, broad-spectrum antibiotics and get that under control. That damned jutsu probably suppressed Kakashi's resistance as well as the pain receptors. I know the exhaustion would have left him vulnerable, as well. The only good thing is that it also delayed the onset of symptoms till he managed to get home, although it also hid everything from Iruka, as well."

"Shizune, what about the antidote and de-tox cocktails Kakashi was taking, won't they have an effect, as well?"

"You're right, they will. Do you or Iruka know which ones he was taking?"

"No, Iruka didn't even know about them till I explained tonight. I told Iruka I'd help Kakashi tweak his a little, but things went to hell before I ever got a chance to talk to him about which ones, or anything."

"You're right, we should find out what he's already taken. I could do a blood test, but those take so much longer. If you're right about the senbon, there will be minute traces of multiple poisons. I hate to say it, but we're probably going to have to take the chance that they'll be neutralized by whatever he's already got in his system. Giving him any more will only reduce the effectiveness of the antibiotics. We can always heal any local damage which is all small amounts of poison will do. I hate to do something potentially painful like that, but it's the best choice. We can always manipulate chakra points or something else to block the pain since sedatives and painkillers interfere with the antibiotics, too. I just hope Tsunade hasn't given him any medications yet. He needs a good effective dose of a strong antibiotic quickly, as soon as we can determine which one is going be the most effective and have the least side effects, especially with what is already in his system. Thank you Genma. We wouldn't have known any of this so fast if at all without your help. I really do apologize for dragging you out of bed, but you know I wouldn't have asked if it wasn't important."

"It wasn't any problem, Shizune. Besides, I owe a lot to Iruka and Kakashi, so I wouldn't mind, anyway."

Shizune nodded, then her eyes narrowed as she took a good look at Genma. "I know the lighting in here is horrible, but you're starting to look a little pale. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, just starting to get a little tired." Genma tried to hide a yawn behind his hand and almost poked himself with the senbon. He glared at the offending needle, and the expression, somewhere between a pout and a snarl was so cute on him that Shizune couldn't help the smile that came to her face.

"Get back to that husband of yours and let him put some color back into your cheeks. Are you ok to walk that far?"

"Are those Doctor's Orders?" Genma obviously still felt good enough to smirk. "I'm fine. I can manage walking, really, Shizune."

Shizune smirked right back, "Let's just say it's not prohibited, ok, Genma? Laughter's an awfully good medicine, but maybe not the **best**." They laughed together, companionably.

They had always been... comfortable together. It was the best word to describe what they had had so long ago. Genma shook his head out of his reverie, he had loved Shizune once, but that was years past, and he had a wonderful, caring husband he loved dearly waiting in bed for him right now.

As always, she seemed to read his mood. "Raidou's a very lucky man, Genma, and I'm glad to see you so happy with him. I bet he's ready to have kittens by now, though, we've been gone awhile. Go get some sleep and let him fuss over you like you know he will."

Genma smiled, a rare expression marred by no hint of a smirk or any sexual innuendo. "That sounds like a wonderful idea."

"Sleep well, Genma, I'll see you tomorrow morning." She grabbed the senbon and started another in the seemingly endless round of tests.

Genma nodded, then turned with a jaunty wave and left.

* * *

Maybe kittens was too weak a metaphor. Raidou was ready to birth a litter of bobcats. He performed the henge much quicker than he ever had before when he heard the knock at the door and prayed Shizune's chakra transference jutsu would get him through this.

The door opened softly and no answer came to the quiet query. "Genma?"

Raidou lay still and silent, feigning sleep.

Tsunade moved towards the bed, tucking the sheet closer to the body and adding a blanket. Her hands glowed a soft green with healing chakra as she moved them towards his head to assess the newly-healed injury. "Good thing you're so hard-headed, Genma, although we have to patch the wall where you hit."

Raidou relaxed slightly in the bed, finally convinced they might just pull this off without incident. "I'll leave you to your rest, you're just fine. Both of you. Tell Genma and Shizune they better have a good explanation when I see them, Raidou."

Raidou sat up, sputtering, as Tsunade left the room. Maybe having a litter of fully-grown Siberian tigers might better describe his mood?

* * *

Genma walked slowly down the empty corridor. Surely it wouldn't hurt to see Iruka and ask him to get Kakashi's packs for Shizune's tests. It was on the way back to his room. Mostly. Besides, the quicker they got the information, the quicker Kakashi would get the care he needed. Yeah, that was a good explanation. And he'd be in and out before Tsunade even noticed him. Yep, a fine plan. Nothing could go wrong.

It was a bit of a letdown when he knocked on the door and entered to find Iruka alone with Kakashi. The chuunin was dozing in a chair pulled close to the bed, head pillowed on his hands, hair fanning out on the crisp, white sheets. "Iruka."

Iruka jerked, blinking awake, then blinked a few more times as he stared at the nurse before him.

"It's me, Iruka."

"That's what I was afraid of. What the hell are you doing out of bed? Tsunade and Shizune will kill you when they find out."

"Naah, I'm good. It was actually Shizune's idea. She has this jutsu to make Raidou's chakra patterns look like mine and vice versa. So Rai is back in my bed probably sleeping and pretending to be me. I wish I'd known this jutsu when I was younger." Genma chuckled. "And as long as we end the jutsu before it drains our chakra completely, there are no side effects. I think I almost caught how she did it, too. I may have to do a little research." The typical smirk seemed somehow out of place on the feminine-looking face. "Anyway, like I said, it was Shizune's idea. She had questions about those senbon and asked me to help. Looks like Rai was right. Those needles were nasty. Turns out the guy didn't take good care of his weapons and so they were dirty and had traces of multiple poisons. Shizune is finishing up the last sets of tests now and wanted me to send Raidou to ask you to bring Kakashi's pack so that she can see what antidotes he was taking. Your room was on my way back and I figured the sooner we got everything to her the better."

"Oh. Well, I guess if Shizune knows, it's ok. You sure you're ok, though? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine, Iruka, just getting tired. It's been a long day. I'm headed straight back to my room. Rai's probably having a fit by now because I've been gone so long."

"Probably." Iruka smiled. "I'll go get the pack and take it to Shizune, right now. The quicker she gets it, the quicker we'll know what to do, and the quicker we'll get Kakashi out of here."

"Yeah, he didn't look too happy when we brought him in..." Genma smirked. "You get his gear, and I'll get back to bed. See you in the morning."

"Sleep well, Gen. Thanks for everything, tonight."

"No problem. You've helped me and Rai for years. The least we can do is be here for Kakashi, we owe it to him for putting up with you." Both men laughed.

"Asshole." Iruka's scar crinkled with the smile stretching across his face.

"Dickhead." Long years of friendship blunted any rancor in the epithets.

They grinned and parted ways, Iruka in a swirl of chakra smoke, and Genma with the tap, tap, tap of sandaled heels and swaying hips.

He was almost to his destination when another body turning the corner collided with him and almost knocked him to the ground. A well-endowed body... with blond hair. _Shit... Not again_. _And not now, this close_...

"Oh, nurse, I need some help with a patient. Please follow me." Tsunade turned around and walked back the way she had come, expecting nothing but unquestioning obedience.

"I... uhh... that is..." Genma had no idea how he was going to get out of this one.

"Please hurry, it's Shiranui-san. He's unconscious and appears to be almost drained of chakra."

"What? Already? But we still... I mean... Yes, Hokage-sama. We should hurry." Genma wanted to run, and was quite upset at the seemingly slow pace Tsunade set.

They finally reached the room and Tsunade opened the door, gesturing for Genma to precede her. Genma entered, eyes on the bed, and stopped.

Raidou was sitting in the chair next to the bed, drinking tea from a mug covered in cavorting felines.

"Ok, Genma, what's going on? I'm guessing Shizune's involved, since I sincerely doubt either of you know the chakra mirror jutsu. What was so important that she let you run loose in my hospital in that get-up?"

"The senbon. She had a hunch and asked me to look at them. All I did was look and talk with her, answer some questions, and give her my opinion on what I saw. On my way back here, I asked Iruka to get Kakashi's pack so Shizune can find out what antidotes he was taking. Then I came right back here."

Tsunade raised a hand glowing softly with green chakra to Genma's head to monitor his condition. "Back in bed, now, Genma. No arguments."

He sat down, and before he quite knew what was happening, Tsunade swabbed his arm with alcohol. "You'll feel a little prick, Genma." She quickly pushed the plunger on the small hypodermic needle she pulled from her pocket.

_Wha?? _Mere seconds later, he giggled. _Little prick. Obviously she doesn't know about Raidou..._ Genma swayed a little, and Raidou and Tsunade lowered him back against the pillows. "It's just a light sedative, Raidou, to make sure he gets a good night's sleep. He'll be a little loopy for awhile, but I doubt he'll be wandering the halls anymore, tonight, now. With any luck, he'll drift to sleep in an hour or so." Genma had a silly grin on his face that Raidou recognized all too well from numerous nights of alcoholic overindulgence through the years. "I know I don't need to tell you, but make sure you get some quality sleep, yourself, Raidou. It's been a long day and knowing Kakashi, Iruka may need you and Genma before this is all over with."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

"I'll check with both of you two sometime tonight. I hope to find you both asleep."

"Me too."

Tsunade snorted. "Sleep tight, boys."

Raidou laughed and Genma waved goofily as she quietly exited the room.

* * *

Tsunade made her way back to Kakashi's room. Shortly before she reached the final corridor, she met up with Iruka.

"Tsunade-sama." Iruka greeted her.

"Iruka-sensei. Out to stretch your legs?"

"Oh, I went to get Kakashi's gear so Shizune could examine the antidotes. I was just on my way back to the room after giving it to her. She said we should have everything we need in about half an hour."

"That's good. I'll feel better knowing just what meds he should be taking for all this."

They turned the corner and entered the room.

The bed was empty, IV dripping in a puddle on the floor.

"Oh fuck."


End file.
